


Vïσℓεŧşɓąŋε: A Mïïŧσþïąŋ Tąℓε

by Marrowfrost



Series: The Violetsbane Saga [1]
Category: Miitopia (Video Game)
Genre: Added more roles to fit the story, Angst, Basically an OC fest, Friendship/Love, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Child Abuse, Self-Esteem Issues, Some coarse language, Violent Scenes, that's a lot of ships so you'd best be prepared
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-07-27 18:12:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 22
Words: 68,923
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16224569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marrowfrost/pseuds/Marrowfrost
Summary: Violet is a (somewhat) simple traveler who follows the wind, with a dark past trailing behind her. Violet's traveled alone for years, and that's the lifestyle she's content with. Soon she must leave that life behind, as she's called by the guardian spirit to save Miitopia from the Dark Lord Mapleshade. Despite her complaints and protests, she's stuck with the task and there's no turning back. Along the way, will she actually manage to make friends? And possibly even fall in love while she's at it?This is basically a version of Miitopia with my characters (with the exception of Mapleshade) and several twists in the plot. There's also added lore to certain classes, places and characters, such as Imps and Cats, Neksdor and Powdered Peaks and a few of my OCs and other roles in the story. This is also cross-posted on Fanfiction and Wattpad.





	1. Rock Moths

I rubbed the crust out of my weary eyes. With a grunt, I got out of my sleeping bag. It was dawn already. The morning sunlight shone with intensity. I packed up my sleeping bag and threw it in my backpack. For a while it was difficult to get the sleeping bag in there, but it eventually went in. I put my backpack on and sighed. I'm getting the feeling today is going to be a long day.

~~~

Many hours later I came across a clearing where some Rock Moths that were just fluttering about. I stretched for a bit; maybe this was a good time to rest. Just when I was about to sit on the grass, I noticed a strange blue sphere floating in the sky.

"...What in the world is that?" I whispered to myself. I took a step back from the center of the clearing.

The blue sphere was now coming closer to me. My legs felt like jelly. I couldn't move. As the it came closer, I saw that it had...a face on it. It only had Mii eyes on it. Shock rippled throughout my body. What the heck was this?

I found myself now shivering in fear. The face was now floating around one of the Rock Moths. Now I was extremely confused. And scared. I closed my eyes immediately, not wanting to see anymore. Once I opened my eyes, I saw the Mii's face on the Rock Moth. I took a few steps back.

"...I think I'm going faint." I mumbled to myself, still shaking violently.

Suddenly the Rock Moth lunged towards me. I managed to dodge the attack, but the Rock Moth didn't stop at that. It went for me once again, this time instead of dodging I ran for it.

"AAAAIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!" I screamed.

~~~

I continued running until I was a long ways from that...monster, I guess. By the time I had stopped it was evening.

"I could stop here and rest..." I whispered to myself. "But I could get attacked by those monsters again..."

I sighed. Making tough decisions isn't one of my strong points. What could I do though? The only other option was to find a town, which I doubt there was any town in the middle of nowhere. Then I heard the growls of more monsters. Probably more dangerous than the Rock Moths, I'll bet.

"You know what? I think I'd rather just run aimlessly like a headless chicken until I find a town, thank you very much." I laughed to myself.

I looked around, hoping to find a town. Just then, I saw a small village.

"I'm starting to love this unsettling convenience." I took a sigh of relief.

Running as fast as I could, I raced over to the village.

~~~

"Hah...hah..." I breathed heavily, still exhausted from that run. "Where am I?"

"Oh, you must be a traveller! This is the town of Greenhorne!"

I looked up to see a young man with blond hair and light blue eyes. He looked around 20-30 years old, older than me. I didn't bother to answer him back, though. I was too tired too.

"I'm Raymond!" He introduced himself cheerily. "Oh? What's the matter? You don't seem to be exactly happy." he asked.

"Monsters!" I burst out, then go back to catching my breath.

Raymond chuckled. "You must be mistaken! The Rock Moths out there aren't monsters!" He then yawned. "It's pretty peaceful around here, anyways."

I grumbled to myself. Obviously this guy wasn't very helpful. I stormed away,  
bristling with anger.

"What's the long face for?"

I heard a lady's voice. I turned to my left to see an older woman with dark brown hair.

"Perhaps you should try smiling little more, dear!" The lady suggested with a wide grin. I couldn't help but smile as well. "See? Isn't that better? By the way, I'm Briana. Nice to meet you!"

I waved back, and then kept walking along the straightforward path. I noticed a woman and a child, who I was guessing were family. The young child was running amok, yelling and screaming.

"...Must be a healthy kid..." I mumble under my breath, smiling a bit.

Seeing the kid running around like that reminded me of me and twin sister, Twyla. We used to be so close together. Playing and fighting with each other...reminds me of some good times. I haven't seen her in so long. I wonder where she is now...

No use in wondering now, though. I have much bigger problems on my hands. I continued walking on the path when I noticed a young looking couple nearby. Maybe I could ask them if this town has a mayor. I walked up to them.

"Um, excuse me?" I asked hesitantly. "I was wondering if this town has a mayor. Could you tell me where to find him or her?"

They paid me no mind. Instead they were locked into each others eyes. For a while they kept complimenting each other. I rolled my eyes and continued along the road. There'd better be someone in this town with common sense, or so help me...

"Hey you." I looked around to see a light brown haired man with black eyes. I pointed at myself confused. "Yes, you. Are you visiting Greenhorne or something?"

"Yes...?" I answer/ask. I don't understand what he meant at all, really.

He crossed his arms. "You sure about that?"

I ignored him and marched on. I then saw an old man wearing some really stupid looking clothing. I sort of assumed that that guy was the mayor.

"Um...excuse me...?" I asked. "Are you the mayor of this fine town?" Okay, that was a white lie. The experience I had so far was horrible.

"Why yes, I am! I am Mayor Stanford. And you appear to be a traveller. What business do you have here?"

"Well, sir, I was attacked by some Rock Moths with people's faces on them." I grumpily reply. "Care to explain why monsters are attacking people?" Okay, maybe that last part was a little bit uncalled for.

Stanford looked appalled at my statement. "Is this some type of sick traveller humor? There's no way that Rock Moths would attack anyone. They're far to weak."

"Would you like to tell that to the Rock Moth that hit me on the way here? 'Cause I would gladly introduce you." I retorted, this time with extra snark. Hey, give me a break. I literally just ran one whole freaking mile, and now I'm surrounded by idiots. I have a right to be cranky.

Stanford's eyes twitched. That couldn't've been good. "Are kidding me? You just come barging into my village with a load of nonsense and expect someone to believe it? Honestly, are you a spoilt brat?! And-"

He stopped yelling at me to look up at the sky. I looked up too, and noticed it was eerily dark. It definitely wasn't night. Something in the air didn't feel right, either.

"Oh no, it's...it's..." he stuttered.

"It's what?!" I snapped at him. I've about had enough of his mood swings, lemme tell you.

"Dark Lord Mapleshade!" He blurted out before collapsing onto the ground.

"What a wimp." I mutter under my breath. "Mapleshade didn't even do anything yet."

"Mwaa ha ha haaa!" I heard a sinister laugh from above us. "I am the Dark Lord Mapleshade!"

I got a better look after dealing with the mayor's stupidity. Mapleshade was a large figure, with a dark black robe and a pendant with a single eye. Alright, maybe Stanford had a good reason to faint. This guy was kind of ugly and unpleasant.

"I've come to wreak havoc and terror on this miserable little world!" Mapleshade proceeded to point his finger at the townspeople. "And I'm starting with you, people of Greenhorne!" Wait, starting? Then how did Stanford know about Mapleshade? Oh well. Something bigger to dwell on is happening anyways.

"Time to taste true fear! Say goodbye to your faces!" Mapleshade said before pulling any faces off.

As I looked around, I saw Raymond, Briana, that kid, that woman and the annoying guy's faces come clean off. They all looked...empty without their faces. It was very unsettling for me, and that's an understatement.

The five faces were now floating around Dark Lord Mapleshade. "Hmph! This will do nicely for now." Mapleshade pointed at the faceless villagers. "Listen up, you faceless freaks! Get used to a life of wordless terror, because that's what you're stuck with!"

I shivered. That definitely didn't sound fun. I hoped that was it, but apparently not.

"And to those who've been spared..." Mapleshade looked directly at me. "Take a nice long look at your sad little friends...AND DESPAIR!! So long!"

Well, that was scary and confusing. First off, what's going to happen to them if they don't get their faces back? Second, who's going to save them? It definitely won't be me. Third, why did Mapleshade look directly at me? And lastly, what gender even is Mapleshade?! That voice was really tough to decipher.

"My poor Sheldon!" I heard a cry from across the town. I raced over to see the mother with that energetic child from before. She looked up to see me. "Oh! Adventurer! Will you please save my baby?"

I did just tell myself that I wasn't going to help or anything, but...only because that child reminds me so much of Twyla...I'll do it.

"Of course!" I nodded, knowing that I was probably going to get killed.

"I think Mapleshade is still somewhere around. Could you check?" She didn't wait for me to answer. "Here's one of my family's good luck charms to help."

Instead of saying that it wouldn't help, or that luck is false, I just took it and walked out of the village. I mean, come on. I might be pretty mean, but I'm not that bad.

~~~

Soon I found myself in an area with even more hills. And there were a lot of hills from before. I stopped in a rather large clearing to rest for a minute. Cut me some slack, I'm still tired from running that mile. As I was resting, the Dark Lord came down from the sky again appearing out of nowhere scaring the heck out of me. Well that was rude. And seriously. How does he even do that?

"Oh? Is someone trying to be the big hero?" Mapleshade teased, seeing how scared I was. I honestly wasn't scared of him; he literally just dropped from the sky. I'm just scared that I might've wet myself a little.

"Give Sheldon's face back!" I yell, getting off the rock I was sitting on. "Ow, ow, my butt hurts..." Man, if I can't stand getting off of this rock...then I am going to die.

"What, this little ol' thing?"

"YES!" I snarled. And before anyone calls me out, yes, I'm still pretty cranky.

Mapleshade raised an eyebrow. "Hrrm. Maybe I'll give this one back. But on one condition."

I winced. Welp, I'm gonna die.

"How good are you in a fight?" Mapleshade summoned a strange blob. Wait a minute, is that a slime? Because if that is, then that's even worse that the Rock Moths. I hate slimes. Not as much as spiders, but you get the point.

"Um...not so good, if you didn't see how I reacted to the Rock Moth. You know, the weakest creature in Miitopia-"

"Well, that's unfortunate for you, now is it?" Mapleshade silenced me with an unsettling grin. "Be seeing you, if you survive, that is!"

Mapleshade vanished into thin air, leaving me with the slime with Sheldon's face on it. Jeez, how does he do that?! I looked back down at the slime.

"So how am I going to defeat it without touching it or without a weapon...?" I whispered to myself. I didn't have much time to myself, however, because the blob was now going to kill me. "Wow, I'm only 17 years old and I'm already going to die."

Suddenly a bright flash enveloped my surroundings. I closed my eyes, not knowing what it was. Soon after opening them, I was in a strange place, nowhere near the slime. That's my only relief. Now where in the world am I?

"Violet...can you hear me?" A voice asked.

"Nooo..." I sarcastically respond.

I then saw a bright flash in front of me. The flash expelled, and then I saw a large cat standing on its hind legs. It had a white fur coat with an orange underbelly. An eyepatch covered the left eye, showing only the blue eye on the right. Maybe she's a pirate of some sort.

"I'm Bright Scar. Now, you might not believe this but I'm some kind of guardian spirit." The cat meowed.

I raised an eyebrow. "But how is a cat a-"

"Hush, hush. Just bear with me here." Bright Scar interrupted. "You seem to be in quite the pickle, Violet."

"...Glad you've noticed..." I muttered under my breath.

"Silence! Now, if you don't want to die, will you accept my help?"

"...no." I mumble. "I don't need it."

Bright Scar growled. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that." Wow, she actually heard that? "Now, I have six jobs you can choose from. Pick wisely, now, because your life depends on it."

Bright Scar shoved six scrolls into my hands. She is very pushy. I open the scrolls to see the jobs Warrior, Mage, Cleric, Thief, Pop Star and Chef. The Chef job sounded pretty nice to me. I mean, I'd finally be able to cook for myself without classes! Now the thief job...why would I even want that? Thieves are people who steal. I've never stolen anything in my life. Hmm, well maybe that's not entirely true to the villagers from my hometown, but still.

"Hurry up! We're burning daylight!" Bright Scar hissed.

I picked up the Chef scroll and showed it to her. "This. I want this."

"O-Okay." Bright Scar sounded as if she was holding back laughter. "Now I bestow the power of the guardian upon you!"

I looked at myself. My clothes were different. I was wearing orange shorts with an orange tank top. I had white bands on my arms and legs, and red boots. I reached the top of my head to feel some goggles attached to a cap. I was also holding a sharp dagger in my hand.

"Wait a minute! This isn't the chef job! You tricked me!" I shouted. I threw the scroll down.

Bright Scar shrugged her shoulders. "Not my fault you grabbed the wrong scroll."

I picked the scroll up to see that it was the Thief scroll. So that was my fault, then. Huh.

"Dammit!" I grumbled. "This is the exact opposite of what I want!"

"Well that's too bad." Bright Scar stuck out her tongue. "Now fight, O Violet! Make your foes fear your thief powers!"

"I'll make 'em fear me alright." I mutter to myself.

Another bright flash startled me. I closed my eyes only to open them and see that the slime was in front of me again.

I took a deep breath. "Alright, here goes nothing."

~~~

After the battle, the face flew off of that disgusting slime. I fell on my bottom. I then heard Bright Scar's voice.

"Good job, young Violet!" Bright Scar proudly meowed. Yay, she finally praised my work!

"It was nothing." I say, trying not to act all cool about it. But truth be told, it was something.

Bright Scar seemed to be pleased that I answered. "Now Sheldon should be safe. It seems thing are looking up! The child is getting their face back, you're not cranky anymore-"

"Actually, I'm still pretty grumpy. I just needed to relieve my stress." I correct her. "Which, unfortunately was only a little."

"Time to go back to Greenhorne, Violet. We must check to see if Sheldon is alright." Bright Scar flat out ignored me. Rude, but understandable.

~~~

I returned to Greenhorne to see Sheldon at the entrance with his face back. He was jumping about happily, now that he could see. His mother came rushing towards us.

"Oh, Sheldon! Don't run off from me like that again!" the mother scolded her child. "Thank you, young traveller. We're in you debt."

"Thank you, traveller!" Sheldon gleefully shouted.

The mother took her child's hand. "Now, come with me Sheldon..."

"Okay, mom..." Sheldon sighed. "Bye!" He waved his small hand at me.

I was now back in Bright Scar's strange room.

"What do you want now, Bright Scar?" I groaned. She just ruined the moment.

"Well that was rude. I guess you weren't lying when you said you were still grumpy." Bright Scar crossed her arms. "Now, I have a task for you. I need you to-"

"Defeat the Dark Lord Mapleshade, blah blah blah, yada yada yada. Sure." I interrupted her.

"How did you-"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, it was pretty obvious that you were going to ask that. I'll do it, but only if it'll get you off my back." I thought for a moment, and then added, "AND that I don't have to suffer alone."

"Fine, fine. You won't suffer alone, either." Bright Scar hissed. "Now go forth, O Violet the thief," I growled at that last part. "And save Miitopia!"

I shrugged my shoulders and sighed. I blinked and I was back in Greenhorne. There were still four people left to save. If I'm going to face Mapleshade, I'd better save these people first. I set out of the village with my dagger in my left hand and the charm hung around my neck like a necklace. Today my life really changed. 'Cause now I'm gonna be important for once.

~~~

(Mystery PoV)

I sat down under the tree leaves, basking in the shade. I'm in Easin Hills, awaiting the Chosen One. I'm still unsure about my mission, though. I looked at the paper explaining my mission in case I forgot; I'm a very forgetful person.

It said: "Your task is to stop the Chosen One from saving the world. Even if it means their death."

I shivered at the last part. You see, I'm not a violent person. And killing goes strongly against my morals. But must obey my master. And even if I'm conflicted over this, it's not like it'll matter. My opinions don't matter in the long run or the short run. So what should I do, then? Sit here and wait for this whole thing to blow over. I really don't wanna get involved in the world's fate.

"This is gonna be such a hard task..." I groan, frustrated that I was getting nowhere with this talk to myself. I heard footsteps from behind me. They sounded light and quick, like a ninja.

I glanced over my shoulder to see a young looking woman with black hair and amber eyes running on the road. She was wearing a thief outfit.

"Oh. Just great. We have enough thieves around here as it is." I mutter to myself.

To be honest, although I very strongly dislike thieves, this one looked decently attractive. My cheeks grew hot. I shook my head. I then looked back towards the hills and sighed.

"Keep it together, man." I told myself. "You've got to focus on the task at hand."

I then heard a feminine voice coming from the same direction that I saw the thief.

"If I can't fight regular enemies, then how will I ever beat the Dark Lord?" The voice sighed. "Bright Scar, you'd better not be sending me on a suicide mission!!"

Instantly it hit me. That wasn't just any thief. That was the hero destined to save this world. But why was she a thief? That makes no sense whatsoever. And who was she even yelling at, anyways?

"Oh, that's just peachy. When I'm the one telling her off, she doesn't even respond!" She yelled, throwing her arms in the air, dropping her dagger. "Of all the crap that's happened so far-"

I stopped listening after I heard her shout some very...unique words. This can't be the hero destined to save Miitopia. You could tell from one look that she wasn't exactly the helping type. And the ferociousness in her voice...that would scare anyone. I bet by now she's probably met the Dark Lord already and snapped at Mapleshade. If she has, then it surprises me. Because Mapleshade wouldn't've left her alive and well, now would she?

But if this wasn't any mistake, and she's meant to save the world...then the world is screwed.


	2. The First Companion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet is on her own still, until she stumbles into her first partner to defeat Mapleshade...

**(Violet's POV)**

I continued along the rocky road, stopping every so often to shake pebbles out of my shoes.

"...This just couldn't get any worse." I grumbled to myself. "I was happy being an ignorant sassy traveller, but now I know even more about the world's problems and I've gotta fix 'em. Jeez, and I thought my village was bad..."

I was still grumpy from earlier, and I'm still grumpy about it. You can call me a drama queen, but I kinda have a good reason to be so dramatic. Suddenly I heard a familiar sound. Then some sort of flapping. It sounded like wings. I stood still. The sound got closer and louder. Turning around cautiously, I saw a Rock Moth directly behind me. It had the exact same eyes as the one that had chased me; the eyes were the same color too, which was a light brown.

"You again?! I thought I'd lost you!" I muttered. "I'll just have to finish you off now."

I unsheathed my dagger, ready to strike. Right when I was about to attack it, something hit me in the back of my head. Losing my balance, I tripped on top of the Rock Moth. I got up easily, with the help of the Rock Moth hitting me in the face. I turned to see ANOTHER Rock Moth fluttering around me.

"Just how many of you freaks are there?!" I exclaimed, flailing my fists around wildly.

Unfortunately, I only punched the air. I felt my cheeks to feel a warm liquid oozing down my face. Oh no. I'm bleeding. The first Rock Moth tackled me again. I flew onto the ground face first. I rubbed my nose. Blood rushed out of it quickly, dripping onto the carved out path. I wearily got up a little, attempting to fight back.

"Grr...attempt to murder me, now will you?" I then proceeded to scold Bright Scar. I stared at the pendant. "Oi, Bright Scar! Are you leaving me to die?!"

No answer came from the pendant. I growled to myself.

"So now I'm gonna die, huh?! Real nice, Bright Scar, just really nice!" I yelled, tears forming in my eyes. "...What's really sad is that no one would even care about my death..." I whisper under my breath.

The second Rock Moth assaulted me with even more malice than the last attack. I was breathing heavily now, ready to pass out. What's more is that I could barely see straight.

"I can't do this anymore...I need to lie down..." I panted. I closed my eyes, letting the darkness take hold of me.

~~~

**(Mystery POV)**

The last of the Rock Moths had vanished into thin air, leaving the pair of eyes behind. They floated away, probably returning to their owner. I looked at the girl passed out on the ground. I know people can get hurt by Rock Moths, but...this was just pathetic. She had blood dripping from her nose and cheek, implying that the Rock Moths easily beat her up.

"Hey, get up." I demanded. She didn't stirr, so I kicked her in the side. "I said, get UP!!"

"...ow! Hey, what was that for?" She snarled at me. I glared at her. This woman is an ungrateful brat, isn't she?

"Probably because I saved your pathetic little life by defeating those Rock Moths, and not leaving you to your death." I explained, making it clear that I wasn't exactly happy with saving her life. Come on, let's be honest. If she can't fight Rock Moths, then she was going to die pretty quickly anyways. "I expect a thank you."

She looked even more pissed now. "I can handle myself, thank you very much!"

"You were going to die!"

"So? I'd rather have an honorable death than be a live coward!" She snapped back.

"Tell me how death to the weakest monster ever created is honorable!"

The woman was now seething. She drew back her right hand and smacked me in the face. I rubbed my cheek, which was stinging with pain.

"Violet! Violet, this young man is a friend." A loud voice boomed. Her name is Violet? That's a surprise. Because I thought violets were fragile- oh yeah, I remember. Then nevermind.

The girl called Violet just looked at me. "He kicked me!"

"You slapped me!" I retort.

"Guys settle down! You both are travelling together from now on, whether you like it or not." the voice hissed. "Violet, this is Tristan and he's a warrior. Tristan, this is Violet and she's a thief."

"I know." I muttered under my breath.

"Maybe I'll call two more companions for you later. Now go defeat the Dark Lord Mapleshade!"

I shuddered at that. I really don't want to fight the Dark Lord. Not now, not then, not ever. Violet looked at me begrudgingly.

"You just had to step in, didn't you?" She huffed.

"It's not my fault that you're so weak!" I shot back. 'And attractive.' I added mentally.

Violet growled one more time before continuing along the path. She threw one last glare at me before sighing. "Come on, then." She groaned.

"Wait, really?" I raised an eyebrow, starting to smile a little. "You want me to come with you?" Hearing her say that made me blush a little.

"Hurry up before I change my mind!" She snapped at me, her cheeks flushed a bright red.

I smiled and ran to catch up with her. As soon as I was able to walk alongside her, I caught a glance at her. She had icy amber eyes with an indescribable coldness. Her annoyed facial expression frightened me a little, but it kind of looks rather cute like that.

"What?" Violet asked in her usual snappy tone.

I looked away from her. "N-Nothing."

Violet was unconvinced but she didn't ask me anymore. We just walked along the straight road for awhile, before we were attacked by more monsters. This time there were two Rock Moths with...a larger butterfly with a whole face in between them.

"Darn it! More?" I growled, grabbing for my sword which was strapped on my back. "Violet, do you think you can fight? Or walk?"

"...oh. So that's what happened to Raymond's face." She muttered under her breath. Then Violet glared at me. "And of course I can! I'm not helpless!"

I sighed in defeat. There's just no reasoning with Violet. With my sword in my hand, I smacked the Raymond Butterfly in the face hoping I hit a weak point. It winced in pain, but was still able to fight. The butterfly rushed for Violet, ready to finish her off. Violet appeared to be doing something to the ground.

"Violet!" I yell at her. "In front of you!"

She glared at me. "I'm well aware, thank you very much!"

Wow. I'm starting to think she wants to die. The Raymond Butterfly was ready to strike her any moment, when something seemed to stop it in its tracks.

"Yes! Caught it!" Violet whispered while doing a fist pump. "It seems like the thief job IS useful after all!"

"Wait, that was a booby trap?" I asked, rather curious. "When did you learn how to do that?"

"Since I defeated a slime with a child's face on it. Don't ask." Violet grumbled, while preparing to throw one of her daggers. "And I've never had to use it until now."

"Oh." I whispered. I then ran up to one of the Rock Moths and finished it off. "You gonna use it again?"

"No, but I need to warm up before I attack. Cover for me." She stated before launching into a bunch of serious looking stretches.

"Fine." I mumbled. Is she actually trying to make me do all the work? No use in dwelling on that, though. I turned to face the large butterfly with Raymond's face on it. "Okay, Raymond or whatever your name is, time for you to be freed!"

I slashed at the butterfly, aiming for its wings this time. Barely a tear in the wing, but a mark was left on it. It slapped me with its other wing, sending me backwards.

"You done yet?" I shouted, getting irritable.

Violet smirked. "Now I am." She then looked at me seriously. "But I need a little help finishing the enemy off." I internally groaned.

"How?" I asked, trying as much as possible not to be rude. "Distract the enemy? Be your human shield?"

"No, I need you to help me throw my knives. It'll finish this sooner, I swear."

That is...actually pretty smart. I thought she was going to ask me to do something stupid, really. Violet passed me a dagger and then she threw her knife at the butterfly. The dagger was rather sharp looking, too. It hit the butterfly across its body, leaving a rather large looking wound. The other Rock Moth fell onto the ground before vanishing.

"How did you do more than me?" I whisper, shocked.

Violet slyly grinning at me. "That's what happens when you're prepared! Now throw it!"

I threw the dagger rather clumsily, but somehow it managed to hit the Raymond Butterfly. The butterfly fell to the ground, with Raymond's face floating up before returning to him.

"Oh! Thank you!" he said. I smiled. It was nice to do something good for a change.

The face floated towards Greenhorne, leaving me and Violet alone. She was smiling, and looking at me. That's a surprise.

"Thanks for helping me out, Tristan." Violet sighed with the smile still on her face. "I think we got off on the wrong foot." She THINKS?! "I'm Violet, and I'm a thief. A cautious one, at that."

"Cautious? I can somewhat tell, but isn't it more obvious that you're pretty stubborn?" I commented.

Violet looked offended. "Stubborn? I'm not stubborn! No way, no how!"

"My point proven!"

"I'm not stubborn!" She growls at me, with her cheeks showing a bright red. I guess she doesn't like the truth, huh?

"So you think you're a big softie instead?" I chuckled. I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

She stuck out her tongue at me. "No! I'm neither! I thought we've been through this!"

"Oh, alright." I rolled my eyes. "You're pretty fun to mess with, though."

"Hmph! Let's just find an inn for now." Violet pushed me aside and continued where we left off. She was limping, though. Probably from the fights prior.

"...Hey, uh...Violet?" I tapped her shoulder. "You're still limping. Do you need help?"

"No! Don't think I haven't noticed you checking me out, Tristan!" Violet snapped.

My face reddened quickly. "I haven't been looking at you like that, I swear! I wasn't even going to suggest anything like that!"

"Oh? And your brilliant suggestion is?" Violet hissed.

I pulled out an HP Banana from my pocket. "This. Take it."

"A fruit. Are you sure that you're fine?"

"It's an HP Banana it'll heal you!" I snapped at her.

She reluctantly ate the fruit, taking little nibbles of it. I'm starting to doubt she trusts me that much. Once she finished it, she jumped up. She ran ahead for a little, and then stopped to let me catch up.

"Wow! I'm starting to feel better already!" Violet exclaimed. "What kind of banana is that?"

"An HP Banana. It heals you of your wounds." Violet stared at me in disbelief. "Don't look at me like that, I don't know either. But I am an expert on anything else HP Banana related."

"What makes you say that?" Violet held back her laughter.

"My mom worked in an HP Banana factory. It's only natural that I learn the trade, at least."

Violet tilted her head. "Ah, okay. But just out of curiosity, what does your mother do now then?"

"It's kind of personal, Violet." I whimpered out of discontent. "I really don't like talking about it. As in never mentioning it to no one."

"Alright then. I've got personal things I'd like to keep to myself, too." Violet shrugged her shoulders. We were closer to the inn now. "But since you shared something about your family, I'll tell you a bit about mine."

"Okay, then."

Violet wistfully sighed. "I have a twin sister, actually. Her name is Twyla. She's very, very energetic. And she loves playing pranks on others."

"Has she pranked you before?" I ask.

"Of course she has!" Violet laughed a bit longer before returning to her serious look. "But...of course I'll never see her again. So there's no use in basking in old memories."

That certainly shocked me. Never see her again? What was Violet implying? Did something bad happen to Twyla? Is Violet a murderer...? She couldn't be. Even if Violet is mean and rude and such, I doubt she'd go that far. I shook off my suspicions quickly, seeing that Violet was ahead of me. I caught up in time to hear her point out the obvious.

"Oh, hey! There's an inn!" Violet cheered. "Let's pop in for some rest!"

"Not a bad idea." I agreed. "And maybe we could see if they have an Adventurer's Tavern. I'm both famished and parched."

"Adventurer's Tavern...? What's that? Is it like the Traveller's Hub?" Violet asked.

I slapped my forehead. "Weren't you a traveller before this mission? The Adventurer's Tavern is a place inside an inn where adventurers can eat, drink and share stories with other adventurers. It's also a pretty good place for gossip, if you're into that kind of stuff."

"Oh! Okay, that makes more sense." Violet nodded in understanding. "But why bring up gossip to me? I don't like talking about others."

"I should be more clear. I like gossip, but I only listen. And it's a good thing to know what others are saying about you, you know."

"Hmm. Well, you've gotten my interest. I wanna check out this Adventurer's Tavern myself." Violet decided. "Let's just run to the inn, alright?"

"Alright. Let's make it a race, then." I shrugged my shoulders. We both got into positions for to race. "Three...two...one!"

We both rushed for the inn, going as fast as we could. I smiled to myself. You know, maybe this quest won't be so bad. Maybe I might even be able to face the Dark Lord. But as long as I'm alongside Violet, I get the feeling that everything will be okay.

~~~

**(Violet POV)**

Me and Tristan had finally reached the inn, after that lengthy adventure. I was ready to collapse. We were still in the lobby, deciding rooms.

"Should we share a room? It's cheaper." Tristan suggested.

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't think so, buddy. Just because we're on friendly terms it doesn't mean I'm okay with you checking me out."

"Are you still assuming that? I told you, I'm not looking at you!" Tristan snapped, his cheeks a rosy red. "Come on, let's just go to the Adventurer's Tavern." Tristan crossed his arms and walked over to the door that lead to the tavern.

I sighed. Maybe I shouldn't bring it up anymore. Even if I'm right, though. I don't understand how he thinks I don't notice it. I could tell that he was looking at my legs during that battle, even if he didn't say anything. I followed after him to the tavern, and to my surprise he waited for me.

"Alright, after you." Tristan calmly sighed, opening the door for me.

I walked into the room to see a bunch of adventurers chatting amongst themselves or stuffing their faces. I have to say, Tristan wasn't wrong. This looks like a very good place to gossip.

I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Violet, let's go find somewhere to sit." Tristan urged.

We walked over to an empty booth in a corner. I slumped onto the chair, happy to finally sit down. Tristan seemed to be just as happy to sit as me.

"So, why did we come here again?" I yawned. I just noticed that I'm getting tired.

Tristan whispered, "Information on the Dark Lord, duh. Did you really think I'd come here just to get drunk?"

"Mmm...maybe?" I shakily retort. You'd think I would've said that louder, but no. Cause I'm actually pretty terrified now that we're in a room filled with people.

"What's wrong, Vi? I've never seen you so shaken up." Tristan asked with a concerned look on his face.

I would've yelled at him for calling me "Vi", but I could ignore that. What's more important is that I'm hearing genuine concern, coming from him. I never thought I'd see that.

I sighed. "Nothing, it's just...there's a lot of people in here. I can't deal with others that well."

"But you can deal with me." Tristan added. "And trust me, I'm hard to deal with."

"I know you're hard to deal with." I groaned. He looked pretty annoyed by that. Oh. He only said that to make me feel better. "But you're an individual. I can handle one or two people at a time. More than that...then it's a big no no."

I could tell that Tristan was unhappy with the noises in here as well. He kept looking at the bar, as if he was resisting something.

I grumbled. "You know, I never said you couldn't drink anything."

"Wait, what? No, I can't drink. I don't drink." Tristan clarified. "I'm looking at that." He pointed over to the commotion nearby the bar.

From what I could tell, a fight was going on and it wasn't pretty. There was a small looking man with white and turquoise robes and a taller man with bluish purple robe with white highlights. Both had wands, so I guessed they were mages of some sort. The person they were fighting with was a woman taller than both of them, and she was wearing a white and black...vestment, I think? The sounds got even louder as the fight continued.

"Look, I don't know who you are, but you need to leave." the small man wearing the white robe ordered. He had a very high pitched voice indeed. In fact, it hurts my ears. "You've caused quite enough trouble with your stupidity already."

The woman growled at him. "MY stupidity? YOU'RE the one you spilt my drink! I'd outta make you pay for all forty ounces of my wine!"

I winced at that number. FORTY ounces? Oh boy, that woman apparently must have some big problems to be drinking that much alcohol. I turned back to face Tristan. He had the same reaction I had.

"Forty ounces? Do you think she's drunk?" I whisper to him.

Tristan nodded. "Yeah. Once you've been here a couple of times, it's very easy to tell the difference. That woman's obviously drunk."

"You're making us pay? We didn't do anything to you!" the white robed man shouted.

"You spilt my drink! That's bad enough!" she hollered back. This woman isn't going to back down, isn't she?

The white robed man took out a strange looking staff that curved at the top and that had a jewel in the curvy part. The jewel began to glow, and a magical aura began to form around him. The woman took out her own staff, which to my surprise and amusement was a stick. Several jeers and taunts were thrown at her for her weapon choice. I kind of felt bad for her.

"Just STOP!!" Everyone turned around to see the taller man in the middle of the two. I stood on my knees on the booth chair to get a better look at him. He had somewhat dark skin with freckles; he also had silver eyes with very dark auburn hair. I'm ashamed to admit it, but that guy is pretty handsome.

The blue robed man was on the verge of crying. "Stargaze, let's just pay for her drink and go! I don't wanna get beaten up by someone because of you!"

"Silverfire, we didn't do anything!" Stargaze retorted. "She knocked it down herself!"

"Excuse me? Last time I checked, it was you who spilt it!"

"You're just saying that because you're drunk!" Stargaze shot back. He turned to face Silverfire. "And no- I said it once and I'll say it again; I'm not paying for her drink!"

With that Stargaze stomped off to the lobby. Silverfire sighed and walked over to the woman.

"Sorry about my brother. I can pay, if you'd like."

The woman shrugged her shoulders. "Alright, whatever floats your boat."

I smiled to myself, my cheeks feeling hot. Silverfire was a gentleman, wasn't he? I can imagine myself travelling with someone like him. I can't help but feel bad for him, though. He has to deal with an aggressive person like that all the time, plus the fact that they're brothers? I pity him, I really do. I turned to face Tristan, who was looking a bit too smug.

"What?" I asked him calmly.

Tristan was turning red with laughter. "I've noticed that you've taken a fancy to that guy over there." He pointed at Silverfire, who was now sitting back down at his seat in a booth.

"N-No!" I snapped, my cheeks turning red.

Tristan got up and gestured for me to get up too. "Come on, Violet. I'm sure he doesn't bite."

I begrudgingly got up from my seat and followed along. Why was Tristan trying to get all up in my business all of a sudden? That's really unlike him.

"Hey. You saving these seats?" Tristan asked Silverfire.

Silverfire looked up, bewildered. "What did you say? I wasn't paying attention, sorry."

"...idiot..." Tristan mumbled quietly. I growled at him softly. "I asked if you were saving those seats."

"Oh! No, not anymore." Silverfire shrugged his shoulders. "Did you want to sit here?"

"Actually, we were hoping if we could sit down with you. Is that alright?" Tristan explained. I noticed that he was exasperated with Silverfire already.

"Sure!"

We both sat down in the seat across from him. Tristan lightly elbowed me, trying to get me to say something. I refused to say something, though. He sighed. Tristan wasn't going to get me to say anything.

Tristan spoke up for me. "You see, my travelling companion here, which is Violet, seems to be unable to take her eyes off of y-" Tristan stopped when he realised Silverfire wasn't even paying attention. "Hey! Aren't you listening at all?"

"Oh? Oh, sorry..." Silverfire apologized sincerely. "I'm really airheaded. Stargaze calls me a liability because of it."

I'm starting to really dislike this Stargaze fellow. He thinks his brother is useless because he's being himself? That's just horrible. I think Silverfire's airheadedness makes him adorable. And he can't change who he is, now can he?

"Well I think your brother is horrible to say that!" I shouted, surprising Silverfire and Tristan. "You can't change yourself, after all."

Silverfire looked away from me. "But I wish I could."

"Look, dude. It doesn't matter what Stargaze thinks. You're your own person." Tristan grumpily responded.

"Stargaze has nothing to do with it." Silverfire hissed. "It's..." He stopped suddenly to look at the door. I glanced over as well to see Stargaze at the door, waiting for his brother. "I need to go." Silverfire looked back at me one last time before leaving. "And Violet- I expect we'll be seeing each other soon."

I shivered violently. What was that? And how did he know my name? He definitely wasn't paying attention to Tristan when he was talking to him about me. Something seemed off about him, and if I'm going to see him again, then...I'll have to get to the bottom of this.

"Violet, I think we should go." Tristan urged. For once, I agree with him. We walked out of the Adventurer's Tavern and headed to the front desk. We decided to share a room. Once we got into the room, I collapsed onto the closest bed.

I sighed. "What even was today?"

"I have no idea, Violet. But I'll tell you what." Tristan shrugged his shoulders. "Bright Scar knows what she's doing, even if we think it's crazy and/or stupid. Who knows, we might even get our next companion tomorrow."

"You really think so?"

Tristan nodded. "Yeah, in a way. But for now, let's just hit the hay. I'm pretty bushed." He walked over to his bed after taking off his armor. "'Night."

"Alright. Good night, then." I whispered back. Tristan didn't seem to hear me. I heard snoring from my right side. "...Wow, he really was tired."

~~~

**(Silverfire POV)**

Me, Stargaze and another one of our friends, Columbia were sitting outside late at night. We were training our skills, except for Columbia who was writing in her notebook.

"Alright, Silverfire. Let's practice a basic move." Stargaze panted, still out of breath from our last mock battle.

I grumbled to myself. I don't get why he's trying to train me still. I already know how to cast the basic spells. Why is still he treating me like I'm useless? Then I remembered at once; my conversation with Violet and Tristan. They both said I was pretty airheaded, but at least Violet didn't care. I heard what Tristan had said about me- that I was an idiot. And in every way, he was right.

Columbia finally interrupted. "Stargaze, don't you think Silverfire is ready to learn the advanced techniques? He's already mastered Fire, Lightning and Explosion."

"I won't teach him anything higher than that, and you know why." Stargaze uttered through bared teeth.

"Stargaze, your little brother has feelings too. You've got to understand that."

"Please Stargaze! I won't hurt anybody!" I begged.

"No! I shouldn't even be watching you. Why did Hazel make me take care of you?" Stargaze snarled at me. I winced at the mention of Hazel. Hazel is my older sister, but younger than Stargaze. The both of us were travelling together when the incident happened. Since then I've had to be babysitted by Stargaze.

Columbia got up from where she was sitting. She looked at Stargaze sternly. "Hazel sacrificed her life to save your little brother! You should be happy that he's alive!"

"Well I'm not! He never should've existed, anyways!" Stargaze snapped at her. "From what I've seen, he's a living curse!"

"Stop!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. They both stopped fighting to look at me. "If I'm such a burden on you, Stargaze, then why won't you let me leave?"

"I'm doing this to protect you, you ungrateful brat!" Stargaze responded.

"Are you really trying to protect me? Or are you trying to protect yourself?"

Stargaze glared at me. "If you haven't noticed, I'm trying to make sure you don't kill anyone else!"

"Well fine, then! Since I'm obviously a threat to everyone, I'll run away to the most solitary area in the world!" I spat back at Stargaze before turning away from him to run. They called for me to come back, I couldn't care less. I'm done with Stargaze. For good.


	3. Meeting(s) Redone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet and Tristan are now somewhat getting along, and along the way they'll be meeting familiar friends and foes alike.

**(Violet POV)**

I groggily opened my eyes. I'm still pretty tired from yesterday. Feeling a lot better, though. I threw the bed covers off of me and onto the floor.

"I might as well put on my clothes now." I yawned. After I finished getting dressed, I looked over to Tristan's side of the room. His bed was empty. "Where did he run off to...?"

I grumbled to myself. I don't have time to deal with his stupidity right now! We need to be getting ready to go! Then I heard the door open. Tristan walked into the room.

"Oh, I thought you were still asleep." Tristan mumbled.

I growled at him. "What were you doing?"

Tristan shrugged his shoulders. "I was out for a walk, and I saw something. And it made me think of you, so have a present." He took out a medium sized box with wrapping paper on it.

"Y-You're sure?" I stammered. I didn't expect him to go out of his way just to get me something.

"Yep. Open it."

I ripped off the wrapping paper vigorously, only to have bits of tape sticking on my fingers. Tristan held his laughter. I glared at him.

"Don't. Say. Anything." I hissed.

I returned my attention back to the box. I've finally gotten all of the wrapping paper of. Now all that's left is to open the box itself! I carefully opened the box, making sure more tape wouldn't get stuck on me. After opening the box, I took out what was inside.

I looked up to see Tristan's face. "Heh, heh." He was chuckling to himself. "I think you'll like it." I then looked at the object in my hands.

"W-Wow, Tristan..." I breathed. I was speechless. "You bought me a bouquet of roses? That's really sweet of you."

"It's to make up for last night in the Adventurer's Tavern." Tristan explained.

I grinned, beaming with glee. "Doesn't matter. None of it was your fault."

Tristan smiled back, and then walked over to his bed. He grabbed his sword and slung it on his back.

"Alright, are you ready to go?" Tristan asked.

I nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, let's go!"

~~~

**(Tristan POV)**

We were now walking along another road, this time without arguement or complaint. Violet was already ahead of me, rushing to the next inn. We decided that it was best to look for any faces up North first. But first we've got to find the path that leads North.

"Hey, uh...Violet?" I called for her. "I'm starting to think we're lost!"

That seemed to stop her instantly. She turned around slowly. "Are you questioning my leadership?"

"Who said you were the leader of anything?"

"And who was tasked with saving Miitopia?" Violet retorted. For once, I didn't have a comeback. "That's what I thought. Don't mention it again."

Violet continued walking ahead of me, but now was more pouty than yesterday. I managed to catch up to her, only for her to look away from me.

"What?" She irritably asked.

I sighed. "I'm sorry for insulting you leadership." When saying that I did roll my eyes while she wasn't looking, so I guess it wasn't that sincere. "Maybe it's because I forgot to eat something this morning. Maybe that's why I'm so crabby today."

Violet shrugged her shoulders, indifferent. "It's okay. I'm crabby all the time, so you'll just have to put up with it." I've noticed...

~~~

Soon we were in a clearing, a small one at that. I noticed the sky was dark.

"Violet, is it just me or did the sky get dark fast?" I whispered. This dark sky was very familiar. And it wasn't sunset, because it was morning just a few minutes ago.

She was frozen in fear. "Oh no, I'm so not ready for this..."

"Ready for wha-" I began before a sinister laugh cut me off. "...oh crap..."

"Hmm? Well look who it is! You just keep turning up like a bad penny!"

We looked up to see the Dark Lord, Mapleshade right above us. Violet looked both irritated and scared at the same time. I was shaking in cold sweat.

"Mapleshade!" Violet growled, her voice trembling a little. "Prepare to taste defeat!" Wait, is she serious? If I remember correctly, we were getting beaten up very easily by Rock Moths. She'd better not be serious, or so help me...

"Pffffft...Aaaahh ha ha haaaaa!" Mapleshade snorted. "That was a good one, I must say! Well, since you both want it so much," The Dark Lord growls, glaring directly at me. "Let's dance!" Mapleshade conjured up a large mass of dark energy.

"Erm..." Violet mumbled. She looked at me. "...Tristan are you alright...?" Those were the last words I remember hearing before passing out.

~~~

**(Violet's POV)**

Tristan was now laying on the ground, passed out. I didn't think this would scare him this much. Mapleshade held the dark matter in his hands. He was ready to attack me and Tristan. I whimpered to myself. Was this actually how we were going to end?

"Hold it right there!" A high pitched voice called out.

Both me and Mapleshade were confused. Who was that?

"Who dares interrupt me?" Mapleshade hissed.

A man wearing a white robe charged forwards. He had a strange looking staff, like the guy me and Tristan saw in the Adventurer's Tavern. Oh no...this guy again? Wasn't his name Stargaze? If he was here, then where's Silverfire? Then I also noticed a woman wearing some sort of white coat with goggles strapped around her head. What was she supposed to be?

Stargaze looked directly at Mapleshade. "Hmm...So you're the Dark Lord I've been hearing so much about. You won't be getting your way for much longer!" That strange staff of his starting glowing again. He must be preparing to attack, I guess. "Not if I have anything to say about it!"

The woman looked frightful for a couple of moments. "Stargaze, l-let's just leave so we can find Silverfire." She whispered.

"Absolutely not." Stargaze retorted back. Hmm. They must not like each other that much.

Mapleshade glared at them. "Didn't anyone ever tell you nobody likes a party pooper?" He looked back me. "I might just let you off the hook...this time! Bye for now! Mwaa ha ha haaaa!" And with that he vanished into the air.

"And breathe..." I sighed heavily. That was very close, I tell you. I think it's been the fifth near death situation for me, hasn't it?

"I remember you. You were the ones talking to my little brother, Silverfire." He crossed his arms. Was he upset? "Do you have any idea where he is now? I said some...mean things about him last night that I never should've said. He ran away, so I'm looking for him."

"If you don't know, then I don't know." I growled back. Don't think I'm going to be all friendly with him just because he saved my life. I have my doubts.

"Don't be so rude to him. I had too much trouble calming him down last night, and saying something like that isn't going to help anyone." The woman hissed back to me. I was about to say something, but I went with my common sense on this one.

Stargaze snivelled a little. "It's all my fault...he could be dead because of me..." His travelling partner hugged him, her eyes brimming with sympathy.

"H-Hey, there's no need to get all upset. I'm sure Silverfire can manage by himself for a while." I comforted him. I had to crouch down to get to eye level. He is very short.

He only sighed. "I hope so...why was the Dark Lord attacking you, anyways?"

"Well, you see, this spirit called Bright Scar forced me to take on Mapleshade. The only problem is that I'm am a weakling. I mean, so is he but at least he knows how to fight." 'Somewhat.'

"So you are the chosen hero to save Miitopia? You honestly don't seem like hero material, but beggars can't be choosers, I guess." Stargaze shrugged his shoulders. That was rude. I can be hero material! "And you say that you aren't that strong yet?"

"You don't need to rub it in..."

"I can sense a strange power within you, however. It's not very much at the moment, but even I felt it when I first saw you." He gave me and Tristan a nod. "But if you continue your journey, it'll grow as you do. So just hang in there."

That was kind of confusing to me. "Was that a positive or negative about me?"

"Positive! Now, if you don't mind, me and Columbia here got to keep looking for Silverfire..." Stargaze said, now looking off towards the East. "If fortune is on our side, we might meet again. Until then!"

After they left, I was dumbfounded. So now what? I've got a few choices. One, I could attempt to wake up Tristan, which probably wasn't going to be easy. Two, I could try to carry him on my back until he's awake. But that doesn't count now as I'm starting to see how hard it would be with his armor on. What to do?

A rustling sound came from behind me. "W-What was that?" Then I heard a voice shout in that same direction. Oh no. It's more monsters, isn't it? Wait, monsters can't talk. That voice also sounded familiar as well...

"I can't believe it! I finally have a good excuse for leaving home!"

I turned around to see a woman who was wearing black and white clothing, holding a twig in her hands. She had black hair that was tied up into a ponytail and had dark green eyes, the same shade as Tristan's. Oh, now I remember. She's that drunk woman who was in a fight with Stargaze.

The woman noticed me and Tristan in the middle of the road and rushed over to us.

"So you must be Violet, right? I've heard about you from Bright Scar."

I shakily nodded. I'm honestly scared of this woman. I know she isn't as angry as last night but...still!

She crossed her arms. "Jeez, I'm not going to bite your head off!" She outstretched her left arm to me. "I'm Holly of Neksdor Town. I'm a cleric in training."

"Neksdor...? Is that supposed to be funny, or...?"

"Yes, that's the name of the town. I'm not the one who came up with it, so don't blame me." Holly gritted through her teeth. Okay, I'm not going to bring that subject up again.

I shook her hand back. "So you're a cleric? Then first, before we go on, can you help my friend here? He took a nasty shock from seeing the Dark Lord."

Holly looked down at Tristan. She raised an eyebrow. "I don't think he needs any help. He's going to wake up soon, anyways." Holly looked back at me. "So, Mapleshade attacked you already, huh? I think we should get going as soon as he wakes up."

"Good idea. By the way, do you remember last night in the Adventurer's Tavern?" I asked hesitantly.

Holly was confused for a second. "What are you- oh! Oh! That. I remember the guy who paid for my drink and the guy I was arguing with, but the rest is a blank."

"Well, the guy you were fighting with saved our lives and he's looking for the guy who paid for your drink. I doubt you know where he is, anyways." I explained briefly.

"Alright, then." Holly shrugged her shoulders. "Also, your friend is waking up."

I looked back down to see Tristan slowly getting up. 'He just had to faint, didn't he?'

"Where's the Dark Lord?" Tristan mumbled, confused. "What happened?"

"I'll explain it all to you later. The person here is Holly. She's our next teammate."

Tristan got up and looked at Holly. "Isn't she the woman who got drunk last night in the Adventurer's Tavern?" He looked back to me. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Aren't you contradicting what you told me last night?" I retort back. "Besides, Bright Scar's the one who called her, not me."

"Hmph. Stop reminding me." Tristan rolled his eyes. He sharply glanced at Holly. "What are we going to do for rooms, then?"

"What?" I asked. Aren't we allowed to have a room for three?

Tristan glowered at me. "Seriously. Did you live under a rock before you started travelling? Every Miitopian inn only allows two people per room. With three people in our group, that complicates things. Who's going to be sleeping on their own tonight?"

"I will, then." I offered, with a hint of anger in my voice. "Since you seem to think it's okay to constantly insult me." I stormed off away from them. I couldn't think about anything else but getting away.

~~~

**(Holly POV)**

I stood next to Tristan, still dumbfounded. What was that all about? Clearly Violet and Tristan don't see eye to eye, but aren't they supposed to be working together? I'm not sure that I want to be on this dysfunctional team.

Tristan sighed. "I don't know what her problem is."

I narrowed my eyes. Like he's the innocent one here. I can't believe these two would just fight over something as stupid as that.

"I don't know what both of your problems are! Aren't you supposed to be friends?" I yelled at him, starting to raise my voice quickly. "You don't need to be so rude to her all the time!"

"I'm not the rude one! She is!" Tristan snapped back at me. "She constantly thinks that I'm staring at her, even though I'm not! And she's quick to yell at me!"

"What did you say to her when you first met?" I sighed. He wasn't very smart, was he? "How did you meet? Chances are, you were rude to her first and then she got all aggressive towards you." He glared at me. "Don't give me that look. You know what I mean. You both need to make amends soon, because you are going get us all killed."

Tristan just looked away from me. I walked ahead of him. "Fine. Be that way."

~~~

Much later we found another inn. Thankfully, Tristan seemed to listen to me and bunk with Violet. I got a single room. Honestly I don't want to deal with either of them at the moment. Before going to our rooms, we headed down to the Adventurer's Tavern to discuss the course of action.

"Maybe we should head North," Violet suggested. "One of the missing faces could be there."

Tristan looked exasperated by Violet. "The missing faces could be anywhere!" Violet glared at him, but didn't say anything. "I say that we head to the gove down South. It's much closer."

"In that case, we could head for the cave that's Southeast then." I sighed. They're most likely going to fight over where we're headed, aren't they?

Violet gave me a hard stare. "Don't encourage him. Either way whether you like it or not, I'm the leader of the group, so therefore I decide which way we go."

"No one wants to go that way, Violet!" Tristan yelled at her. "If you haven't noticed, me and Holly don't want to walk that long!"

"Fine. Then we'll split up the workload." Violet hissed at both of us. I saw tears ready to fall from her eyes. "I'll go North, and you guys go South." She walked out of the tavern, leaving me and Tristan behind.

I glared at Tristan. Earlier I thought he was stupid but...this? Well, scratch that, both of them are stupid. I swear, there is nothing but abuse in their relationship.

"Why did you bring me into this?" I asked him, restraining the anger in my voice.

Tristan seemed to take the hint that I was pissed with him. "Sorry." He snapped. He wasn't very apologetic at all.

"'Sorry' doesn't solve anything! Violet is now pissed off with you, so much so that she decided that we should 'split up the workload'! Seeing how much you pissed her off, I wouldn't be surprised if she's already left! She's going to get herself killed, and I doubt that you would have the heart to care!"

He just got up and walked towards the exit. "You don't know anything about me, Holly. So keep your damn mouth shut." Tristan trudged out of the room, with only me left. I was on the brink of tears.

"Why did Bright Scar choose me to help these idiots...?" I whispered to myself. I felt someone tapping on my shoulder. I looked up to see that guy who paid for my drink yesterday. I don't remember his name, though. Wait, did I even know it in the first place?

The guy looked sympathetic. "Hey, you're a friend of Violet, right?"

"I guess so..." I responded. I don't know how I'm "friends" with them anyways.

"Then come on. Go get Tristan and meet me at the inn's lobby." He ordered immediately. "We've got to save her before she gets herself killed."


	4. Amending Mistakes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Violet's run off from Holly and Tristan, and now Silverfire, Tristan and Holly must find her before she gets herself killed.

**(Tristan POV)**

"Tristan, get up!"

I opened my eyes to see Holly standing right next to my bed. She was glaring at me with intensity. What time was it?

I stretched for a bit. "Why'd you get me up so early? Can't it wait?"

"If I must remind you, Violet's run off because of your stupidity." Holly hissed at me. "We've got to perform a rescue mission right now, whether you like it or not."

Violet...was actually serious about that? I thought she was just overreacting like she normally does. Wait, why did she overreact so much? It then hits me that I'm the one who started our whole feud with each other. Now looking back, I really shouldn't've kicked her...

"I just realised what you meant. I need to apologize to her." I sighed. "But how are the two of us going to find her?"

"You're incorrect. The THREE of us." Holly smirked, either because I realised that I was wrong or that she's getting to tell me I'm wrong again. "There's this guy who asked if we were friends of Violet, and that we needed to save her right now."

"What did he look like?" I asked, struggling to put on my armor. Seriously, the problem with getting out quickly is that this stupid armor takes too long to put on. It doesn't even fit me that well.

Holly was silent for a minute. "He had dark auburn hair, light brown tan, freckles and silver eyes." She then let out a dreamy sigh. "He's so attractive. Well, to me at least."

"I remember him," I remarked. "That's Silverfire, the guy that Violet has a little crush on."

"Wait, Violet does?" Holly mutters to herself, seeming to forget I was there. "That's unfortunate for me..."

"What was that, Holly?" I asked. She quickly looked up to see me glaring at her. Holly rushed over to the door, with her face flushed a hot pink.

"N-Nothing! Nothing at all!" Holly stammered. Please don't tell me she likes him too. "Come on, he's downstairs waiting. So get off your lazy butt and get ready!" She then slammed the door in a rage. I sighed. My armor was already on, I have my sword. Time to go.

~~~

**(Silverfire POV)**

I watched the other people come and go through the inn's doors while waiting for Tristan and Holly to hurry up. I mean it, if they don't get down here soon, I'll save Violet myself. And trust me, it might seem to be impossible for me to do that all alone, but it's actually a pushover. In fact, I don't even have to save Violet if I don't want to. But, it's a wiser option to save her. Even though we'd have to put up with her complaining all the time.

Then I saw Holly and Tristan rushing over to me. They were out of breath, probably from going down the stairs when they could've just used the elevator.

"I was wondering when you'd finally show up." I calmly stated, trying not to offend them. "I was about to leave on my own."

"You? On your own?! Don't make me laugh," Tristan snickered. "You're far too airheaded to even last one second out there." Holly elbowed him in the shoulder. She glared at him, and then looked back me with an admiring gleam in her eyes.

Holly smiled at me. "Don't listen to this idiot, he doesn't understand what his stupidity does to others."

I had to admit, Holly was nicer than Tristan. That's a good thing.

"Well, we need to start now. Violet's probably gone North." I gestured for them to follow me. "Let's go."

~~~

It had been a couple of hours since we'd set off, and already everyone was fed up with each other. Mainly with me. Tristan had been complaining that he should be the one leading because he's stronger than the rest of us (ha, as if) and Holly had grumbling about how Tristan landed all of us into this mess. Although she's very, very, very right, it's not really going to help us very much.

"Hmm? What's that noise?" I whispered, after hearing the bushes rustle.

Tristan glared at me. "See? You're letting stupid things get in your way, therefore I should be the leader!"

"Shut up, Tristan!" Holly shouted, also smacking him in the face. I don't blame her. I would've done that pretty soon now, too.

"Stop it, this instant!" I snarled at the two of them, who were now ready to brawl with each other. "Did I take you with me so you could beat each other up out here instead of at the inn? No! I took you with me so we could save your leader!" Tristan was about to say something, but apparently thought better of it. "Obviously, it seems that you both don't care about Violet that much. If you did care, you all would get along with each other. So cut the crap and start getting along."

They both looked genuinely surprised that I snapped at them like that. Well tough shit. They should've thought better than to start a fight in the middle of nowhere. And they should've realised by now that I'm already pissed with them. I don't care if they say I don't know them at all. The way they treat each other is utter bull.

I gave them one last look. "And also, the noise I heard? Yeah, that was a monster. That could've led us to where Violet is. Seriously, what is wrong with you people?"

~~~

**(Violet POV)**

I wiped away my tears falling from my eyes. I kept up my pace towards the mountain range up ahead.

"I don't need them at all. I can save the world on my own." I repeated for the tenth time, trying to convince myself that I could. I walked towards the sign that led to a fork in the road. "I can go...left or right. Might as well go left. Doesn't really matter that much in the long run."

I headed left, still holding back my tears from before. One or two of them had slipped, but none came out regardless.

"Violet, this is Bright Scar. Can you hear me?" Bright Scar's voice spoke through the pendant, which was worn on my neck.

I sighed in defeat. "Yes. I can hear you." Why was Bright Scar talking to me now of all times?

Bright Scar whispered. "Violet, you must return to your companions. You know very well you can't do this alone."

"What's the point? None of them like me or each other anyways." I started to sob uncontrollably, finally releasing all the tears that I was withholding. Which was a lot. "Tristan's always rude to me and Holly doesn't even seem to care about anyone at all! Ever since I left home no one's liked me at all..."

"Violet, please listen to me-" Bright Scar began. I don't care what she has to say. It doesn't matter.

"No! I'm done with this! I'm done with it all!" I growled at Bright Scar.

Bright Scar was now more concerned. "Violet, I know what you're thinking. Don't do it."

"It doesn't matter anymore, Bright Scar." I whispered hollowly. "Go find someone else to be Miitopia's hero. I quit."

~~~

**(Silverfire POV)**

Minutes later, we stopped to take a tiny break. No one had spoken a single word after I had snapped. I'm hoping that means my message got through to them. We were sitting on some rocks in a small clearing. Holly and Tristan seemed to be a tiny bit more friendly towards each other than earlier, so I guess that's good news.

"Silverfire, I think we should continue." Tristan stated, without any hatred for once.

I nodded my head. "I agree. I'm starting to feel uneasy."

Holly and Tristan got up quickly and walked back onto the path. I hesitated, though. Something didn't smell right. Greenhorne usually smells of fresh grass or newly blooming flowers. I sniffed the air again. Yep, that isn't any smell of grass or flowers. That's blood.

"Holly and Tristan, wait!" I shouted. They stopped and immediately ran back over. "Do you smell that?"

They both checked to find the odor. Holly winced. "Oh, yuck. That's blood!"

"Are you saying that we should check it out?" Tristan asked, grimacing from the smell.

"Yes. It smells fresh. Obviously we need to." I answered. Wow, I didn't think that they'd hate the smell this much.

Tristan placed his arms behind his head. "Well in that case, you lead the way."

We followed the scent for a few minutes, and then came across another clearing. It looked rather small. The odor of blood was even stronger over here. Holly didn't bother to look up; she was too busy holding her nose. Tristan hesitantly looked closer in the clearing, and then dashed forwards after he widened his eyes. I looked for what he saw. Then I realised what it was. There was a human body in the middle of the clearing. With long black hair and wearing thief's gear. It was Violet.

~~~

**(Tristan POV)**

"Violet! Violet! Wake up!" I pleaded, while shaking her violently. No response. I noticed a somewhat small and deep gash in her throat. What did this to her?

Silverfire was now beside me, alongside Holly. Silverfire looked at Holly pleadingly.

"I- I don't think I can..." Holly whispered, unsure of herself. Silverfire looked at her desperately. "I've never healed anyone before..."

"Please, Holly." Silverfire begged, his voice starting to crack. "I'm begging you. Save Violet before it's too late."

Holly gulped. "O-Okay. I'll try." She then began to close her eyes and muttered something, like it was some ancient password.

"What happened to her...?" I asked numbly. I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

Silverfire looked at the wound on her neck. "I don't think a monster did this, Tristan." He pointed at the gash. "See? That's what a wound from a dagger would look like."

"D-Did she..." I whispered while shuddering. I didn't want to answer that question, and I know Silverfire doesn't want to either. Silverfire only sighed and looked back at Violet's face.

A soft glow enveloped the scar on Violet's neck, and then slowly disappeared. Some of the wound was still there, leaving a visible scar on her neck. Me and Silverfire looked at Holly, who was deeply relieved.

"Phew. I managed to do it." Holly sighed in relief. "I thought it wouldn't work." She looked back at us. "Violet should be waking up any moment now."

Sure enough, Violet did start to wake up. She looked tired, and faded lines of tears were transparent on her face. Silverfire immediately hugged Violet, tears falling down his cheeks. Why was he crying? He barely even knows her.

"Violet." Holly whispered gently. "Please don't run off like that again. Sorry for not being much use." Holly then looked at me and gestured me to say something.

"I'm so sorry, Violet." I sighed. Violet just growled at me and looked away. "I never should've been so rude to you. I realise that now. Can you find it in your heart to forgive me?"

"I forgive you." Violet mumbled, still looking away from me. "Don't think I can trust you right away. You'll have to earn my friendship."

I nodded. That's good enough for me. All that matters is that Violet forgave me. And that Violet is okay. Silverfire and Violet broke away from each other once they heard me snickering. I'm sorry, but it's just too cute and funny to not laugh a bit. They both were blushing profusely, now awkwardly avoiding each other's gaze.

Holly looked over towards Silverfire. "What are you going to do, then? Don't you want to get back with your brother?"

"No." Silverfire bitterly spat. "I never want to see him again."

What's up with him? I've never seen him this upset. And what did Stargaze do to him that was so bad?

"So are you just going to start wandering about again?" I asked.

Silverfire shook his head. "Well, I've been thinking on it and..." He looked   
a little nervous. "I want to join you guys on your quest." Silverfire glanced down at his feet. "I mean, you don't have to let me join if you don't want me to..."

"Of course you can join~" Holly sweetly cooed. Ew. She then looked at Violet, who glaring at her. "Oh, um yeah. W-What do you say, Violet?"

Violet smiled at Silverfire. "I agree with Holly. If you really want to, you can join us."

Silverfire then looked at me as well. I gave him a nod.

"Really? Thank you all so much! I promise I won't let you down!" Silverfire cheered, joy highlighting his eyes.

The four of us were now fondly chatting with each other, actually enjoying each other's presence for once. Later we all decided to continue along the path, since we were close to an inn. Well I hope we are.

~~~

**(Holly POV)**

It's been a couple of minutes since we set off, and we haven't fought with each other since. That's a new record. Since we've taken off, I've been unable to take my eyes off of Silverfire. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to notice my affection for him. Oh well. He will eventually. Tristan occasionally would smile at me. I would smile back sometimes, but only to be polite.

Soon we were bombarded by some monsters. This time there were some clouds with eyes on them along with some goblins. We all took out our weapons. I took out my stick, which actually is useful, believe it or not.

Violet threw one of her daggers at the enemies. "Hup!" She shouted. Her dagger hit both of the goblins, taking them down first. The clouds were still up in the air.

Silverfire then rushed up to attack the cloud on the left, but then started to suddenly slow down. "H-Huh?" He looked around himself now extremely confused. He then absentmindedly hit the monster on his right instead. What was that? Well, whatever it was, it seemed to lower its guard.

The cloud he hit smacked him back in the face, making Silverfire rush back over to where we were. Violet looked at him with concern. I did the same. That did seem like a nasty blow. Tristan was already charging towards the cloud on the right, aiming for the middle. His blade went directly through it, making it fade into nothing.

"Heh. That was easy." He laughed to himself.

I looked over to Silverfire, who was still wincing in pain. Violet was by his side, asking if he was okay. He gratefully smiled at Violet, who blushed a little. No. I refuse to be shown up. I prepared to cast a healing spell, cure. It's my turn now.

"Cure!" I shouted, confusing both Violet and Silverfire. A greenish blue aura enveloped Silverfire, healing him completely.

He smiled. "Thanks, Holly!"

"Anytime, Silverfire~" I slyly replied, earning a forced grin from Violet. Hah. Now that was amusing.

Violet then threw one of her throwing knives again, knocking out the other cloud thingy. We had won.

"Yes!" Violet yelled, doing a fist pump into the air. "That's the second battle we've won so far!"

I looked over to Tristan, who mouthed "Don't." Okay, clearly this is a discussion for another time. Silverfire was now stretching a little, starting to yawn.

"Hmm? Is someone sleepy?" I asked Silverfire with a grin. He looked back over to me.

He yawned even louder. Silverfire also smiled a little as well. "Yeah...I'm really tired now..."

I seductively smiled back. "Perhaps you'd like to sleep with me tonight, Silvy~?" I purred.

Violet glared at me once she heard the tone of my voice. "Absolutely not. I'll share a room with Silverfire tonight, and you can share with Tristan."

I growled at her. She just keeps getting in the way of me and Silverfire. I guess I'll just have to put up with it. She is the group leader, after all.

Tristan wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "I guess we'll be bunking down for tonight, huh?" I threw his arm off of me and followed Violet and Silverfire, who were now chatting fondly.

~~~

**(Violet POV)**

We were now at the inn, already in our planned rooms. Silverfire was standing by window, looking out of it longingly. I was sitting on my bed, still trying to take off my boots. I looked up.

"What's up, dude?" I asked.

Silverfire sighed. "I'm waiting for my sister to come back." He shrugged his shoulders. "I know it's a lost cause, though. They've either killed her or put her behind bars by now..."

This was very worrying. I didn't know he had a sister to begin with, and he's saying that she could be dead or in prison? Whatever happened, Silverfire's had a tough life. I got up off my bed and stood next to him.

"Who said it was lost cause?" I whispered gently, trying not to upset him even more.

"Stargaze did. He said that it was pointless thinking that she lived."

I patted his back. I blinked sympathetically. "He didn't see what happened, though. Did he?"

Silverfire shook his head. "Nope. It was just me and Hazel when we got attacked."

"Then he might be wrong. Hazel could've lived." I assured him, holding back my sympathetic tears. "So you shouldn't lose hope yet."

"Alright. Thanks, Violet." Silverfire mumbled. "And you don't need to start crying for me. I'll be fine."

My cheeks flushed a bright red. He noticed that?

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

I set my staff down on a rock, hoping it would stand. Columbia noticed that we were slowing down, so she set her stuff on the ground next to mine. We'd been looking for Silverfire all day, and we still haven't found him. I guess he was serious when he said he was running away. I sat on the hard ground next to the rock, trying to find a comfortable spot to sit.

"Stargaze?" Columbia shyly whispered.

I calmly looked back. "Yes?"

"C-Can I sit next to you?"

"Go ahead." I sighed, not caring anymore what she asked me. I was far too tired to care that much.

Columbia sat down next to me carefully, as if she didn't want to bother me that much. She also looked extremely tired as well. I felt some pity for Columbia. She's never travelled anywhere outside of her hometown, Greenhorne. I noticed that she was dozing off back and forth. Columbia struggled to keep her eyes open. She started leaning forwards as she barely managed to stay awake.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but you can sleep on my shoulder." I grumbled softly. Columbia smiled for a brief moment before curling up to rest on my shoulder.

Since Columbia's much taller than me, she has too curl up or crouch down to reach my eye level. What's convenient about this, though is that in the process I get someone big enough to generate enough body heat to keep me warm. You see, I get cold very easily. So whenever I go to sleep, I always have to have someone next to me to keep me warm. I wasn't as embarrassed with Silverfire, but...with Columbia? That's a little too close for me, and me and her don't like each other that much. Of course, I still have no choice.

"Do you think we'll find him?" I sighed. "I was really harsh on him..."

Columbia nuzzled my cheek. "I'm sure we'll find him. We can't lose hope now."

"Maybe you should go back to Greenhorne, Columbia. I don't want you to get in trouble with your father or your sister again." I suggested, hoping that Columbia would listen. Her father is the mayor of Greenhorne town, and her sister Ivy is one of the most ferocious women you will ever meet. Last time when just me and Columbia hung out, they both told us to stay away from each other. Of course, Columbia ignored them and kept seeing me. Either she forgot, or she just doesn't care.

"I told you, I don't care what they think." Columbia reminded me, tears forming in her soft green eyes. "I can take care of myself, regardless of what they think. And if I can't, I know you'll protect me."

I smiled a little. "Yes, I will protect you. Even though you don't seem to need it."

"Yeah, but..." Columbia mumbled, blushing a bit. "I like it when you protect me..." She then proceeded to gently lick my cheek. By now it doesn't bother me. She's done it several times already.

"I know you do." I happily sighed. I laid my head on top of her head. "But what if we don't find Silverfire? What will we do then?"

Columbia barely stirred. I heard soft snoring from my left. Oh great. She fell asleep on me. I didn't actually mean it when I said she could sleep on my shoulder! Now it feels even more awkward and uncomfortable than before. Why? Because if feels like she's trying to cuddle with me. And I don't like cuddling with others. I don't like sharing my personal space.

I grumbled to myself. "Great time to fall asleep, Columbia. Although I can't blame you. That encounter with Mapleshade must've left you shaken still. And you still aren't used to actual battle..."

Columbia was still asleep. I don't think anything will wake her up now.

"You know what, Columbia? I'm going to train you myself." I said to Columbia, even though she was asleep and unable to say anything. "...I hope nothing bad comes out of this..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm uploading all of the completed chapters now, so here we go.


	5. To the Castle!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now Violet, Tristan, Holly and Silverfire are traveling to Greenhorne Castle, attempting to get along with each other. Although they're getting somewhere on their journey, it doesn't mean more drama will happen. (I was lazy and skipped a few parts)

**(Holly POV)**

We were already on our way back to Greenhorne. We'd save all the villagers face now, and recently we'd saved Briana's face. Nothing has changed, really. Me and Violet being somewhat friendly to each other despite fighting over Silverfire. Violet and Tristan were now better friends than before. Silverfire and Tristan were becoming great friends, actually. They got along surprisingly great. Me and Tristan won't snap at each other anymore (to an extent...). Unfortunately Violet and Silverfire have become best friends. But Silverfire hasn't noticed ME yet. Just how daft is he?

"How are we going to get past Castle Greenhorne?" Tristan wondered out loud. "We already tried going that way, and that guard wouldn't let us go past him."

Silverfire nodded. "I've been thinking about that too..." He then looked over to me. "Holly, you lived in Neksdor, right?"

"Used to. Not many great things about it if you ask me." I grunted. I guess somethings were okay about my hometown. My mother is very wealthy and my parents absolutely hate each other, so I got practically anything I wanted from them. We also had our own private chef, who is only two years younger than me even though he had gray hair plus the fact that he's purblind. His name was Jayson, and he was probably the only other person I liked besides my mom and dad.

Violet seemed to catch on. "Then how did you get to Greenhorne? Wouldn't you need some sort of permission to get here?"

"Ah...about that..." I laughed awkwardly. "I'm kinda...not supposed to be in Greenhorne. Like, at all. I ran away from home."

"You ran away from your home too?" Violet whispered incredulously. Wait, Violet meant it when she said that? Well, then. We're more alike than I thought. "Eh, we probably did it for different reasons." Yep, very different reasons.

"Point being, how did you get here?" Tristan reclarified. His arms were now crossed, visibly showing his irritation. Ugh. He still gets on my nerves.

I glared at him. "Well, OBVIOUSLY I was invited." I sarcastically retorted. Tristan just growled to himself and stopped talking. Then thank Bright Scar for that. I thought he'd never shut up.

"Well, we COULD go the way I took to get here, but..." I trailed off. "None of us want to end up in jail, so that's out of the question." Everyone just stared at me for a brief amount of time. "What?"

"Are you a fugitive, Holly?" Tristan bluntly asked. Violet and Silverfire braced themselves. I'm not that angry with him, really. Technically speaking, I am.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Depends on how you look on it. I'm a daughter of a rich celebrity in Neksdor and I ran away from home because..." I would like to share that part, but each time I say it I always choke up. I dunno why. It's not like I liked my father Brokenfire that much.

"Because what?" Silverfire whispered.

Tristan protectively wrapped his left arm around me. "If she doesn't want to say it, then she doesn't have to." I smiled gratefully at him. Even if he's a giant pain, he has his good points.

"Thanks, Tristan. But you really don't have to do that for me." I also blushed a little while removing his arm from my shoulder. "Besides, no one was forcing me to say anything."

"I just felt like I should've intervened, that's all..." Tristan hissed. I noticed his cheeks were red. Was he mad? Tristan quickly walked ahead of us, muttering to himself.

I ran up to him. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Aw, Tristan. I know you wanted to help me out. Please don't get so mad about it. You scare me when you get upset." He hugged me.

"I'm sorry." Tristan whispered into my ear.

I gently nuzzled his cheek. "I know you are." I smiled a little. This was the first time I've felt...relaxed. I heard Violet and Silverfire snickering. We immediately broke away from each other.

"Why did you stop? Didn't you want to cuddle with each other some more?" Silverfire teased.

Tristan growled at him. "Same could be said about you and Violet, Silverfire."

"Oh shut up, Tristan. At least we have the decency to control ourselves." Silverfire growled back. Ugh. Even though I like him, I hate his smug attitude towards me and Tristan. It's like he thinks that he's all high and mighty and so much better than us. Well, he's not and he'd better knock it off.

"Would you like to test that little theory?" Tristan snapped while cracking his knuckles. Violet immediately jumped in between them.

"Guys, guys! Stop! We're almost in Greenhorne, so please, can we get along?" Violet begged, tears forming in her amber eyes. I don't blame her for being upset. The last time we all got into an argument, it drove Violet to the point of suicide. I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to go through that again.

Silverfire glanced at Violet with sorrow in his eyes. "Violet, I didn't mean-"

"I don't want your apology right now." Violet looked at Tristan. "BOTH of your apologies. Now leave me be." She walked right past me and Tristan.

Tristan glared at Silverfire. "Gee, thanks buddy. Really helping Violet out." Like he's the one to talk. At least Silverfire is showing more genuine concern for her than Tristan. "Moron."

"Don't talk to me, Tristan." Silverfire hissed with a hint of warning in his voice. "You don't know who you're shit talking right now." He snarled at Tristan one last time before stomping off.

"D-Did you see his eyes...?" Tristan whispered, his eyes wide. "They were glowing red." I saw that, as well. Just what was he...?

~~~

**(Columbia POV)**

"Stargaze, can we please stop training? I'm sick of fighting!" I grumbled. Stargaze was making me train nonstop since a few days ago, and I'm really starting to hate it. Luckily, we'd managed to get to the other side of Greenhorne castle, meaning neither Dad or Ivy can get me now!

He narrowed his eyes. "Look, in the real world, you'll be fighting anyone at anytime! So get used to it, because I can't protect you forever!"

I winced at his words. He's never snapped at me like that before. Stargaze had his arms crossed. Did I disappoint him again? I felt tears running down my cheeks. Why does he have to be so mean? Is this how he trained Silverfire?

"Oh, dammit." Stargaze cursed before rushing towards me. "Look, Columbia. I didn't mean to snap at you, I just-"

"Hmph!" I turned away from him.

Stargaze sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you. I really don't want you to die." I smiled a little. He's being serious? I thought he couldn't care less if I'd died along the way.

"You actually care if I live or die?" I whispered, now looking back at him.

Stargaze's cheeks were flushed a bright red. "I-I just don't want to get in trouble with your family, t-that's all!" He walked away from me for a bit and then gestured for me to follow. "C-Come on, let's go."

"I'm picking up on something very different, but whatever." I shrugged my shoulders. Stargaze let out a sigh of relief. I snickered a little, adding, "I'll tease you later once we get to an inn." He then let out a very exasperated groan. Ha ha, I don't blame him. I can be VERY annoying when I want to.

~~~

**(Violet POV)**

We were now on our way to Greenhorne castle, with the Mayor's Introduction in my hands. I'm holding it because:

1\. Tristan will probably "accidentally" lose it and not care  
2\. Holly would probably rip it up "accidentally"  
3\. Silverfire isn't that good of keeping track of himself, let alone a piece of paper

So therefore I'm the one best suited to carrying it. But I don't blame them. I don't want to "adventure" and "have fun with new friends" either. Only Silverfire actually wanted that, but I feel like that's just an excuse to escape from Stargaze.

"Hey, Violet?" Tristan called. "Do you have a spare HP Banana?"

"Tristan, for the tenth time today, NO." I hissed. "And I'm keeping track, just letting you know."

He grumbled a bit, but he said nothing. What does he even want with an HP Banana, anyways? We haven't been in any battles all day. Silverfire was right next to me, not saying anything. He looked angry still, probably because of earlier with Tristan. Then I also noticed that Holly and Tristan were a few feet behind us, chatting merrily. Wasn't Holly going to try to seduce Silverfire some more today? Or did she give up? Either way, it's confusing to me.

I tapped Silverfire's shoulder. "Something wrong?"

"...everything's wrong." He muttered underneath his breath. I grabbed onto his shoulder, stopping him. "Violet, if I told you, you'd try to kill me." Kill him? Why would I kill someone, let alone my best friend?

"You can tell me, Silverfire. Please. Don't you trust me?" I whispered. Please, Silverfire, you can tell me anything.

Silverfire looked away from me. "I trust you, Violet, but..." He shuddered. "Some things are better left unsaid."

I felt tears in my eyes. So he doesn't trust me, then? I turned away from him with my arms crossed.

"V-Violet, look I-" He began. I wasn't in the mood for it.

"I don't want to hear it." I snapped. "If you can't trust me, then I can't trust you. It's that simple."

I saw that Silverfire was about to cry. "I do trust you, Violet. You're my best friend!"

"Not if you can't trust me with anything I should know about!" I yelled. Tristan and Holly were now looking at us with wide eyes. "Just leave me alone for now."

Silverfire looked down at his feet. I heard him sobbing quietly from behind me. I could apologize. I would apologize. But I can't now. Who can I even trust anymore?

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

Me and Columbia were now back to travelling on the road. We were in the middle of a forest now, and we were making good progress. At this rate, we should be able to reach the Arid Frontier.

"Stargaze! I'm bored!" Columbia groaned loudly. "My feet hurt, I'm bored, I have a headache and did I mention I'm bored?"

"Columbia?" I whispered, my right eye twitching a little. "Can you shut up for a little while longer?"

Columbia pretended to faint. "Uuuuuuugh. I'm dying."

"Okay, but I'm not dragging you all the way to an inn, Ms. Thornhill." I subtly sneered. She absolutely hates it when I call her by her last name.

"Shut up, Great Sage." She retorted back. And of course, she calls me that just to get on my nerves.

I growled at her. "You enjoy getting on my nerves, don't you?"

Columbia nodded. "Not my fault you're so easily aggravated. And so stubborn."

"Stubborn? I'm not stubborn!" I denied, even though I know it's true. Everyone I know calls me stubborn, as if it's a bad thing. Well it's not. It helps me be patient with Columbia. It's useful.

~~~

**(Tristan POV)**

I sighed. Today wasn't the best day for any of us, really. Right now we're acting all dignified and civil because we're in the castle, about to have audience with the king of Greenhorne, King Ryan. All I know about him is that he's a very...solid king. I've yet to find out what that means, though...

"You may enter His Majesty's throne room now, travelers." The guard on the left said to Violet.

She nodded and walked in. The rest of us followed suit. What we saw next was...unexpected. We saw a rather large person sitting in a large throne. That was probably the king. Well, I now know what some people have said about him is true. He IS a very solid king.

King Ryan had red hair and yellow eyes with rather large cheeks. He also had a huge piece of meat in his hands, already scarfing it down. I shared a brief glance with Holly, who was about to explode with laughter.

"Welcome, travelers." King Ryan greeted us, still stuffing his face. Rude. "What brings you here to Greenhorne castle?"

"Well sir, the Dark Lord Mapleshade attacked some inhabitants of your country. And by attacked, I mean he stole their faces and placed them on random objects/creatures." Violet explained. "We came here after gaining Mayor Stanford's approval to come here. The reason we're here is because we need to warn you."

"Pfft. What a load of nonsense." King Ryan dismissed Violet's warning quickly. "Of all the tall tales today..." Suddenly a blue aura enveloped the king's body. His face then floated off and out of the castle. I looked around anxiously. Mapleshade isn't anywhere to be seen, though. Must've done the job from somewhere else.

"Should we save him...?" I asked Violet.

Violet glared at me. "Uh...duh. That's practically our job."

"We'd better be rewarded handsomely for this..." Holly grumbled under her breath.

~~~

We were now in the forest past the kingdom, nearing the Arid Frontier. It's even hotter over here than on the other side of the castle. I guess it makes sense. We're nearing Neksdor, the ocean sized oven. Holly seemed more at ease over here than on the western side of Greenhorne. I suppose that makes sense. That was her hometown.

"Where do you think the king's face is?" Holly asked out of the blue.

Silverfire was still remaining silent, probably because of Violet yelling at him. Well, now he knows how I feel around her. I honestly feel bad for the guy. Maybe I'll try to cheer him up later today. When he's not flat out ignoring everyone.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Eh, who cares? We're bound to run into his face eventually."

Holly wasn't pleased with my answer, but it kept her quiet, at least. Soon we were ambushed by some weird plant things and some more of those weird eye clouds. And this has been a strange day.

~~~

**(Silverfire POV)**

"Lightning!" I shouted, casting electricity onto the monsters. It damaged them, but it didn't finish them off completely.

Holly ran up to one of the clouds and smacked with her staff. It faded into nothing, sending the pair of eyes back to the owner. She smiled a little and came back over to us. Tristan smiled at her. Does he like her or something?

"Nice job, Holly." Tristan praised her. She giggled happily before concentrating more on the battle. Ugh. I don't want to deal with this right now.

Violet then jumped into the air, ready to preform her "Whirlwind Blades" attack. She quickly struck all of the enemies in a flash, defeating the other cloud and defeating one of the large plants. I wanted to help her out with her attack, I really did, but would she even let me? She's been scowling at me all day. I want to be friends with her again, but she just ignores me.

It was my turn again, but someone quickly pushed me out of the way. It was Violet.

"Watch it!" She snapped at me before attacking the other plant. Why would she do that? The other plant/monster/thing disappeared into nothing, leaving a pair of eyes behind. Oh well. The battle was over. Doesn't matter as much now.

I then noticed Holly glaring at Violet with pure rage in her eyes. Is Holly okay? Please don't let it be about her interrupting my turn. I don't mind, I really don't. Holly stomped over to Violet.

Violet turned to face Holly. "What-" That was all she could say before Holly smacked Violet in the face. Why did Holly DO that?! Violet rubbed her cheek. "What the hell was that for?"

"You should know what that was for." Holly scowled. "There is absolutely NO excuse for what you did!"

"Is it any of your business?" Violet muttered angrily.

Holly smacked Violet again. "It's my business when it effects the team in battle!"

Violet now looked scared of Holly. "Just leave me alone, Holly!" Violet screamed. She ran off from us, her tears dropping onto the ground.

I can't standby any longer. I need to talk to her, now. I ran in the direction of Violet, trying to catch up with her. I'm not losing my best friend.

~~~

**(Columbia POV)**

"Okay, let's try this instead." Stargaze told me, now getting extremely irritated. We were sitting down in a small clearing surrounded by trees. "You know those windows you scientists can open with your technology?"

"Yeah. What about 'em?" I asked, confused where he was going with this.

Stargaze looked really tired now. "Maybe you can try messing up the enemy's DNA to damage them?"

I closed my eyes. "I'm not smart enough to do that, Stargaze. I'm too stupid." I felt a tear rolling down my cheek. Was I crying in front of him? I hope not, but I probably am.

"Nonsense!" Stargaze shouted surprising me. He wiped the tears of my face. "You're extremely smart, Columbia. You're smarter than me, and I'm pretty smart." Why is he trying to make me feel better? Isn't it clear I'm dumb?

"But I am!" I wailed. "That's all I've heard; all my life. Isn't it obvious?"

I felt Stargaze wrap his arms around me protectively. "No, you aren't. And anyone who says otherwise will have to answer to me." His pale silver eyes were glittering, on the verge of tears. "Please don't call yourself that. Because you aren't stupid; you're very intelligent."

After that, I burst into tears. "Thank you, Stargaze!" I blubbered. He gently patted my back, trying to calm me down.

"Now, do you want to continue on?" Stargaze asked me. I nodded. "Alright, then. Let's go."


	6. Jealousy and Hatred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Violet runs away from her team (AGAIN), Silverfire chases after her. Meanwhile Columbia and Stargaze have a few hurdles getting in the way of their awkwardly blooming relationship.

**(Violet POV)**

I was still running as far as I could. Why would Holly attack me like that? I stopped suddenly once I realized why. It was because of what had happened in that last battle. When I interrupted Silverfire in battle. I pushed him away and attacked for him.

"What was going through my mind...?" I whispered hollowly. "I can't believe I did that..." I fell down onto the ground.

Suddenly I heard Bright Scar's voice from the pendant. "I might be able to shed some light on that." She meowed. "When travelling with friends, you won't always get along with them. Each time that happens, your with them resentment raises. Eventually, you reach the breaking point of that resentment, starting a quarrel. It can be one-sided or on both sides. In your case, it was one-sided."

"Not helping, Bright Scar." I grumbled.

Bright Scar ignored me. "Don't you still like Silverfire, Violet?"

Why are we going over this? "Yes, I do. But best friends shouldn't hide secrets from each other."

"Violet, I understand how you feel." Bright Scar sighed, sympathy flowing in her voice. "I had a friend named Arabian Dagger. He was my best friend. But he never told me his darkest secrets. I was enraged, but I had to understand. I have things I keep to myself, too."

"But that was different for you!" I spat. The waterworks came soon after. "I'm shriveled up, broken mess. You have self-esteem. I have absolutely none. You don't understand how it feels to be constantly beaten up mentally everyday. And you don't insult yourself all the time, so shut up!"

Bright Scar was silent for a moment. "You love him, don't you?" She whispered. "But you keep beating yourself up, thinking that he deserves better than you. Violet, I will tell you this honestly; yes, you are a mess. An amazing mess."

"Thank you, Bright Scar." I sniffed, wiping away a tear. "But when you said dark secrets...what does that mean?"

"Violet, I know what you're trying to trick me into saying. Don't." Bright Scar quickly caught onto me. "Listen, when Silverfire told you that he couldn't tell you why he was upset, there was a very good reason behind it."

I sighed. "And what was that?"

"He only wants to protect you from himself." Bright Scar replied. "I can't tell you anymore then that, though. You'll have to find out yourself, and trust me, that isn't very wise."

"Alright. I suppose I should head back over to my teammates. But what if they hate me for running off again? And what if Holly decides to smack me again?" I muttered to myself.

Then I heard the bushes rustling from behind me. I turned around carefully to see Silverfire, who was relieved. Probably because he found me. He ran over to me as fast as he could.

"Violet, you're alright!" He shouted. As soon as he was close enough, he hugged me. "I was so worried!" I saw tears running down his cheeks. Silverfire really does worry about me.

I blushed heavily, seeing as how he was laying on me. "O-Okay, get off of me, dude." I ordered while trying not to laugh. Silverfire got off of me, confused.

He tilted his head. "Why are you blushing? Are you okay?" Silverfire is sometimes too oblivious for his own good.

"No reason." I lied. I'm not ready to tell him yet. "Where's the others?"

Silverfire's expression told me all I needed to know. Obviously he ran off without the others.

"Well, I ran after you as soon as you ran away." Silverfire mused, as if he was recalling something from a long time ago. "Holly was horrible to hurt you like that!" Holly isn't going to enjoy hearing that from him.

"Look, Silverfire. I'm fine now. You don't need to worry so much." I told him, trying to calm him down. I gently patted his head. "Come on, let's go back to our friends, okay?"

Silverfire smiled. I think he liked that. "Okay." He got up quickly. I also stood back up as well, standing right next to him. We then began walking back to the other half of the group.

"...Can I ask you something, Silverfire?" I whispered. He looked back at me. Silverfire nodded. "Why are you doing so much for my sake?"

"What do you mean?"

I sighed. "You practically saved my life, even though you didn't have to. And then you also try to comfort me when I'm upset. Plus you came right after me as soon as I ran off today..." I then looked into his eyes. "Why?"

Silverfire blushed. "Well, I-" He stuttered. "I don't know how to describe it, but you're really important to me." Really? "A-And, I'm sorry for being snappy earlier today, I just-" His words were cut short once I interrupted him. Not by talking to him. But by kissing him. Both of us were genuinely surprised by what I just did.

We quickly broke away from each other. Why did I even do that? I mean, I wanted to but not now!

"I, um...sorry." I sighed, looking away from him.

He shook his head. "Ah, it's alright. It was kind of nice, honestly." He...liked kissing me...? "Come on, let's go." I nodded, now smiling to myself. Maybe he likes me, too...

Once we turned forward again, we both saw Holly and Tristan, just staring at us.

~~~

**(Holly POV)**

I couldn't believe what I'd just saw. Violet kissed Silverfire. Okay, I know we're not on good terms, but this was too far. First she disrupts the whole battle with her stupidity, and now I catch her kissing Silverfire, the one who was supposed to be mine? No. I can't believe this. She's going to PAY for this.

I felt Tristan's hand on my shoulders. "Holly, I know what you're thinking. Don't even." How DARE he tell me how to act! I swatted his hand away angrily. I marched up to the two in front of us. "Holly!" He called, but I couldn't care less. He's an idiot, thinking that I would stand for this.

Violet looked at me with fear in her eyes. Good. This little brat deserves to be scared. Silverfire narrowed his silver eyes, with anger glinting in them. I pushed Silverfire away from Violet. I glowered at her.

"Violet, I'd outta kill you for touching him!" I snarled at the quivering thief, who was starting to cry a little. "But since I'm a nice person, I'll let you off with a little warning: Keep off of what's mine."

"What's yours?!" Silverfire exclaimed. He threw me away from Violet. "I'm not anybody's property! Holly, recently I really can't stand your behavior. Guess why!"

"Silverfire, I don't know what I did wrong." I growled at him. I did NOTHING wrong. All I did was love him.

"You went wrong as soon as you started hurting Violet!" Silverfire hissed. "I can't believe you! And after all this time, I thought you were a nice person! I've never been so wrong in my entire life!"

I started yelled at him then. He was pissing me off. "Apparently, falling in love with you was wrong! All because you're too smitten with that hussy over there to notice!"

"Why would I love a jerk like you?" Silverfire snapped at me. "I don't ever want you to come near me or Violet again." Even though I couldn't stand him in that moment, it hurt.

The both of them walked away from me. Silverfire looked at Tristan. "There's an inn not to far from here. We'll meet you there." He shot me one last glare before walking in the direction of the inn.

Everything went wrong today. My plans, my dreams, everything. Silverfire will never love me. And I don't think I'll ever love myself again.

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

Me and Columbia were still in the forest, probably lost. That's because I made the mistake of letting Columbia lead the way for a while. Of course, I didn't tell her that, because we don't have the time for one of her melt-downs. However, this was a great opportunity for Columbia to practice her battle skills. And surprisingly, she was doing REALLY well. We were at another crossroad once we stopped.

"Columbia, are you SURE we aren't lost?" I asked.

Columbia rolled her eyes. "Puh-lease, Stargaze! We're obviously not lost." I'm honestly unsure if that was sarcasm or that she's actually serious.

"Well, I kind of want to rest soon, so..." I told her with a annoyed tone to my voice. "We're gonna have to work something out." Columbia sighed. Hey, I'm serious. I don't want to cuddle with her again.

"Okay, fine! Since you're the expert, why don't YOU pick which way we go?" Columbia pushed me in front of her so I could see all three paths. "Remember, this effects our ENTIRE journey Stargaze, so choose wisely!" She then whispered, "Let the pressure sink in."

"Oh, shut up, you!" I hissed. She gets on my nerves so much. "Let's go on the middle path." Columbia was behind me, sticking out her tongue. "And knock it off!"

~~~

We've been walking for awhile now, and I'm starting to get hungry. Columbia is pretty hungry too, I can tell by the way she's clutching onto her stomach.

"Stargaze?" Columbia whispered.

I grumbled a little. "What, Columbia?"

"Can I eat snack on one of the grub items in the bag?"

"Hmmm...I dunno know. All we have is goblin ham." I reminded her. Now, I absolutely love goblin ham. Columbia, on the other hand absolutely hates it. "And I know how much you LOVE goblin ham."

Columbia's face was priceless. "Goblin ham is the nastiest thing in the world! I can't believe you would suggest such blasphemy!"

"It's either the goblin ham or dust bunnies..." I teased her. This was honestly the funniest thing right now. I'm going to have to come up with more ways to annoy her.

"I'll take the dust bunnies, thank you very much." Columbia growled. "Besides, isn't slime jelly much better then that nasty crap?" Yuck. I hate slime jelly. Unfortunately, my facial reaction told her everything she needed to know. "Jeez, what's wrong with you?"

I rolled my eyes. "Says the girl who dislikes goblin ham. Silverfire loves it even more than I do."

"Something is seriously messed up with both of you, then." Columbia sighed, giving up in defeat. "Hey, what's that? Come on, let's check it out!" She ran off towards whatever it was she saw. I ran after her as fast as I could. I am NOT letting her die today.

Once she stopped, I was confused. I looked at what she saw. There was a person on the ground, faceless and practically mangled. Female, by the looks of it. What was above her was even more frightening; the monster with her face stuck to. The monster looked sort of like an banshee, but larger. And then it also had griffin wings, and had some sort of lizard tail stuck to its posterior. The arms and legs were from different monsters that even I don't know the name of. Just what was this thing...?

Almost instantly it went to attack Columbia. She obviously wasn't paying attention, so I had to warn her.

"Columbia, look out!" I called out. Columbia noticed just in time. Phew. That's a relief. I don't want to be responsible if something happens.

Columbia got ready to perform one of her newest abilities: Glitch, as she so fondly dubbed it. "Glitch!" She shouted before pressing the button, damaging the monster. It looked like that attack did a lot of damage, too. Perhaps she's stronger than I thought...

I then tapped into my magical abilities and powered myself up, getting ready to attack. I knew what skill I was going to use. "Mega Fire!" I yelled. It looked like this thing is damaged more by fire. That's good to know.

The monster then lunged towards me and smacked me in the face, sending me backwards. (a bit.) Before I could react, it jumped on top of me and pummeled me harder into the ground. Soon it got off, probably to heal itself. I groaned. I hurt all over. Columbia came running up to me.

"Let me help you!" She exclaimed. "Cure.exe!"

"Don't need it!" I snapped before getting up. It hurt, but I'm not letting it get to me. I'm not accepting her help, either. I don't need it. Columbia obviously was hurt by this.

"That's..." Columbia muttered. Oh well. I'll deal with that later. I rushed over to the monster, who was still resting. It's time for one of my strongest spells.

"Tower of Flame!" I shouted before casting it. The monster burnt to a crisp, leaving only the face behind. Columbia came running up to me, with a mixed expression on her face.

"I'm glad you're not hurt, but..." Columbia mumbled. "That wasn't very nice, Stargaze."

"Look, I'm glad you want to help me, but please. I don't need it all the time." I explained to her as gently as I could.

Columbia looked at her feet. "It was only the first time I used that skill..." She whispered. Now I kind of feel bad. I was going to say something else until I heard a voice from behind us. We turned around to see the girl on the ground now standing back up, with her face.

"Thank you SO MUCH!" She exclaimed. "You don't know how horrible that was, lemme tell you!" The girl had bright green hair tied up in two ponytails. She also had neon pink eyes, and long eyelashes. By the looks of her outfit, she was a pop star. And she's taller than me, too. Great.

I smiled, embarrassed. "It was nothing, really." The pop star immediately hugged me.

"You're such a great person, saving people from that evil Dark Lord!" She looked up at my face. "And you're such a cute guy, too!" Um...that's not what she'd be saying if my little brother was here. He's better looking, in all honesty.

"Okay, that's enough!" Columbia hissed. She looked mad. Why is she so grumpy now? "Who even are you?"

"I'm Avery! But you can call me Ava!" She giggled, winking at me. "Hey, why are you guys out here in the middle of nowhere?"

"The same could be asked of you..." Columbia muttered.

"Columbia, stop being so rude!" I snapped. Seriously, why she so grumpy?

Ava looked up at the sky for a moment. "I was travelling to Greenhorne for my next concert, but then that Dark Lord Mapleshade took my face, dropped me here, and created that abomination. I can't believe Mapleshade would put my beautiful face on something that ugly!"

Columbia snickered. "I would, too..." My goodness, what's wrong with her? There's no reason to be so rude to Ava!

"Maybe there's something he's trying to protect here, and he put me here to guard it!" Ava decided. "Do you guys wanna come to? Wanna find out with me?"

"No!" Columbia snapped.

I ignored her. "Of course, we would, Ava." Columbia growled in frustration. "Suck it up, woman. We're going, and that's final."


	7. Abandoned

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is more of a Columbia and Stargaze chapter, and this is basically a continuation of the last POV in Chapter 6.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This might have some heavier material in here, a little forewarning.

**(Stargaze POV)**

We were still in the forest, now looking for the supposed "treasure" there. I honestly don't believe Ava, I just want to be around someone who isn't annoying for once. Okay, not as annoying. Me and Ava were walking alongside each other, chatting merrily. I think I really like her, even though she's very...odd. Columbia was walking behind us with her arms crossed.

"One moment Ava." I interrupted her, trying to get away from her for a second.

"Okay, Star!" Ava shouted happily. I think she has too much energy for her own good. Star is the nickname she gave me, and honestly, I kind of like it. I slowed down a little to catch up with Columbia, who was looking to her left.

I reached up and tapped her shoulder. "Hey, Columbia. Are you alright?" She glared at me, with despair in her eyes.

"Why would you care?" She spat. I do care! Doesn't she know that by now? "Just leave me alone."

I sighed. Why doesn't she want to talk to me? Usually she'd be up for a chat by now. Was she still angry with me for refusing to let her heal me? No, it couldn't be that. She probably doesn't care all that much, anyways...

~~~

**(Tristan POV)**

I looked over at Holly, who was now on the ground crying. I couldn't blame her. Even if she went the wrong way about it, she really loved him. I walked up to her and sat down next to her. I patted her back. She looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"Tristan...please stop..." She whispered. "I-I want to be alone."

"Just because you want to doesn't mean you should." I replied, trying to calm her down. "Holly, I need to confess something to you."

Holly didn't seem to care if I was still there. "What?"

"I've been thinking about us a lot recently, and-" I muttered. Holly seemed to catch on to what I was saying. "I mean, I-"

"Shh. I know what you're trying to say." Holly mumbled while shaking her head. She then rested her head on my shoulder. "But I think it's best we stay just friends...there's already enough happening with me, Silverfire and Violet. Once that's over with, I'll consider it."

I nodded. That answer was good enough for her, it seems. Both of us got up and followed Violet and Silverfire's tracks. Holly was latching onto my arm, smiling. I really don't want her doing that, but I'll have to ignore it for now. There's more pressing matters to deal with right now.

~~~

**(Columbia POV)**

It was now night, and the three of us were resting in a nearby inn. We were in an Adventurer's Tavern. Stargaze was sitting close to Ava, listening intently to what she had to say. Why doesn't he listen to me like that? I also noticed a lovesick gleam in his pale silver eyes. My gosh, I hate Ava. She's obnoxious, a chatterbox and stupider than ME. And I'm pretty stupid.

Stargaze seemed to notice my foul mood. "What's wrong, Columbia?" He asked gently. Look, it should be pretty obvious what's wrong! You've practically ignored me since you made first eye contact with Ava!

"Oh, nothing." I lied. I glared at Ava. "Since you both seem to be SO cozy already, why don't you guys share a room?" Stargaze was about to object. "No, no, I INSIST. I can handle sleeping by myself."

With that I walked out of the Adventurer's Tavern. You'd think that he'd notice the obvious hints I've been dropping. But I guess not. I walked up to the main desk, took the keys to the room and when straight to my room. I shut the door and locked, making sure no one else could get in.

"Stargaze, why are you ignoring me so much...? Aren't we friends...?" I whispered to myself while taking off my goggles. "Do friends ignore each other? No, I don't think so..."

I set my flask down carefully on the nightstand, making sure nothing spilt. The stuff in there is so freaking expensive that you wouldn't believe it. And I can't get another grant this month, I already have so much debt. I'm lucky that I'm one of the Mayor's daughters, even if me and Ivy aren't related to him. That was the only way I was able to become a scientist. I laid down in my bed, pulling up the covers.

"I miss my family..." I sighed. "Maybe I should've listened to Stargaze and left. Then he could chatting with Ava without me breathing down their necks." I looked back at the door. Does he even care about me anymore? Probably not, since he's to head over heels with Ava to notice his other friend. I then whispered, "I'll just go to sleep now." Soon I let sleep take over, forgetting everything going on in my mind.

~~~

_It was about to rain. Storm clouds were gathered above Greenhorne, heavily dark. Little raindrops pattered on my head as I kept still, next to my mother and sister. My mom looked around the town of Greenhorne, looking unsure. Why was she stopping?_

_"Perhaps this place is safe..." Whitney, my mom, whispered to herself. She gestured for me and Ivy to follow her. "Let's go."_

_We walked about the town for a little while. Even though it looked pretty small, it was really big on the inside. People looked at us and had appalled looks on their faces. I looked at my clothes, which were torn up thief's gear with a torn up light blue scarf around my neck. Ivy was wearing similar gear as well, except she had a dark blue scarf. My mother's clothes were so worn and ragged, you could hardly tell that she was a thief as well._

_Whitney looked up at the sky. "It'll pour soon, and it'll be heavy." She sighed. She glanced at an alleyway that had filth everywhere. "That'll have to do for now. Anywhere else and we'd be kicked out of town."_

_Me and Ivy followed our mom to the alleyway. She ordered us to sit. "I'll be back," she had said. But she never came back. Me and Ivy waited for hours in the heavy down pour. Whitney abandoned us. When people saw us, IF anyone walked by, they would walk even faster, away from us like we had some kind of disease. No one came for us, and we had gotten sick from being in the rain so long. The only one I had was Ivy._

_After three whole days of starving, Bright Scar herself must've decided to bless us. One day the mayor of Greenhorne was taking a walk in our neighborhood. Both me and Ivy were sick, but Ivy was worse out of us both. Ivy had collapsed into a sneezing fit at that time, and by crazy luck, he'd heard and saw us. Two abandoned kids who would probably die in a few more days._

_He looked at the two of us. "Why, are the two of you alright?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Actual concern. "Two little kids of your age should be with their mother and father."_

_"Mommy said she'd be back, but she hasn't come back yet." I murmured. I don't know why I'd thought she'd actually come back. Whitney was a horrible mother and a liar._

_Ivy glared at me, still managing to look ferocious despite the weak, sick gleam in her eyes. "Whitney hasn't been back for three days!" Ivy coughed. "Why would she even come back for us?"_

_"You both look horrible. I can't believe a mother would leave such young children on the streets..." He whispered. The mayor then crouched down and wrapped both of us in his arms. "If nobody else will, then I'll take care of you."_

_That was the first time both me and Ivy had heard those words. It was always "take care of yourself" with Whitney. I cried tears of joy, and Ivy did as well. Someone actually cared about us._

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

I woke up in my room with Ava, enjoying the warmth of the blankets. Ava was already up, and from what I could tell she was shaking me violently.

"STAR!!! WAKE UP!!!!" She shouted. I grumbled a bit, now getting up. "Man, you're one heavy sleeper."

"What?" I groaned. Obviously it was something important since she was making a big fuss. And it better be, because the clock says 2:07 in the morning!

Ava glanced at the door, looking worried. "I heard screaming and crying coming from Columbia's room. I asked her what was wrong, but she just screamed to go away." Oh no. What had happened to her? "You're closer to her, Star. You're her best friend. You need to talk to her."

"But-" I began.

"Look, you've been ignoring her all the time! How do you think she feels?" Ava snapped at me. She must feel horrible about it. I really aren't a good friend, let alone best friend... "Well, she wants you instead of me. Try comforting her for once."

I nodded briefly and headed for Columbia's room. I could hear thrashing and shattering glass in there. I don't think she's okay. I knocked on her door. "Columbia, it's Stargaze. Can I come in?" The noises stopped. I heard the unlocking of the door. "Alright, I'm coming in."

I opened the door to see Columbia barely able to stand up. There were large open tears in her turquoise lab jacket, where you could see the red marks her pale skin. Some of the marks had turned into scars, but they still looked recent. Her face now had some glass pieces on it, cutting into her skin. What did she do to herself...?

"C-Columbia, are you actually okay?" I asked her gently. "No more lying. I want the truth."

Columbia then bursts into tears, falling onto the floor. "I've been thinking about my mom, Stargaze!" She'd never told me anything about her mother. "I was thinking about how she left me and Ivy on the streets! And how she probably hated us, with every fiber of her being." Her mom left them on the streets?! That's horrible! No wonder Columbia is so used to being alone and starving all the time. I sat down next to her.

I nuzzled her hair, starting to sob a little. "Columbia. Please don't cry so much. If you'd told me from the beginning, I would've tried to make you feel better." That was the honest truth. "I enjoy being around Ava, but you're my best friend. Don't think that I'd ever replace you."

"Really?" She murmured.

I hugged her. "Really." I then curled up on her lap, taking her by surprise. "And I'm kinda sleepy still, so I'm just going to sleep on your lap." Before falling asleep, I added, "And I'll get you some new lab gear for you to make up for my stupidity, alright?"

Columbia nodded before falling asleep as well. I've never felt more content then right now, and I'm not kidding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually cried writing this chapter, if we're being honest.


	8. Halfling

**(Holly POV)**

_I woke up in my bed, still feeling weary. I was in Neksdor Town, back in my mother's house. I looked up at the ceiling in my room, wanting to stay in bed. However, my mom had different plans. I hear the door slam open._

_"Holly Crowe! Get off your lazy butt and get to the table for breakfast!" Sarah growled. Sarah is my rich mother who absolutely dotes on me, but doesn't go the best way about it._

_I rolled my eyes. "What, are you cooking breakfast AGAIN?" Sarah isn't exactly the best cook, to be honest. Last time we ate together she fixed us some half-cooked BBQ Scorpion. I mean, I'm used to the taste by now, but she isn't the best at it._

_"No, I hired someone to cater to mainly your needs." Sarah explained snappily. She then grinned smugly. "You should be lucky you've got my good looks, honey."_

_For awhile I wondered what that could've meant. I don't look that good, and neither does my mom since she met my dad. And why did she say that, anyways? Absolutely everyone in town hated me. And that's an actual truth._

_I just grumbled for a little and followed my mom to the kitchen downstairs. Who I saw down there was a little unexpected. He had long gray hair and light blue eyes. One of his eyes had a lighter pupil than the other, giving me the impression that he's partially blind. I soon realized who it was. It was Jayson, who was part of the poorest family in Neksdor Town._

_He blushed a little once he saw me. "O-Oh. H-Hi." He muttered. Aw, his shyness is really cute!_

_"This is Jayson. The guy went ahead and offered to help out with you when nobody else would," Sarah cheekily explained. "And I must say, he's taken quite a liking to you." Sarah then walked out the door, leaving me behind with him._

_"So you're Holly, r-right?" Jayson stuttered. I nodded. "I-I hope won't fail you."_

_I smiled at him. "You don't need to be so shy! I'm very sure you won't, Jay-Jay."_

_"How do you know that?" Jayson mumbled softly._

_I walked up closer to him and patted his shoulder. "Jayson, what I'm seeing here isn't someone that can attend to my every whim; I'm seeing a friend."_

_Jayson then rushed up to hug me. Tears were flowing from his eyes. "Thank you!" I had to lightly (and subtly) push him off of me. "Sorry, it's just...no one's ever called me a friend before."_

_"Then we'll be experiencing friendship for the first time together," I told him. "Cause you're also my first friend, too."_

~~~

"Holly, wake up." I heard a familiar voice. I opened my eyes to see Tristan, who already had his armor on. "Violet and Silverfire are downstairs getting breakfast. I was wondering if you wanted to get some, too."

I nodded. "Alright, I'm pretty hungry anyways." I got up from the bed, reaching for my stick. "B-But, what about Silverfire and Violet hating me? Please tell me you didn't forget about that part!"

Tristan gently patted my back. "They said we're going to have to figure something out." He told me. "Well, Violet did."

"Not exactly reassuring, dude." I sighed. "But let's go before we're missed."

~~~

We went downstairs to the Adventurer's Tavern, where we saw Silverfire and Violet talking with each other while eating. Normally I would've felt jealous, but not anymore. After what happened two days ago, I don't think I view him in that light anymore. Violet can have him for all I care.

"Hey guys." Tristan greeted them calmly. Silverfire noticed me behind him and looked away from us. Violet meekly waved at us, and then began eating again. The both of us sat their table. "I think we need to work a few things out."

Silverfire rolled his eyes. "A few." He sarcastically retorted. Sadly, he's very right.

Tristan ignored him. "First things first, I really think you three need to work this out." Silverfire glared at him. Tristan awkwardly looked away. "L-Look, I'm not a part of this love triangle, so leave me out of it."

I glanced over to Violet, who was now picking at her food. "V-Violet, I..." She looked up at me when she heard her name. "I'm sorry for hurting you like that. I know what I did was wrong, and the way I've been treating you since I joined the team was horrible. I hope you can forgive me one day."

"I forgive you, Holly. Trust me when I say, love can make you do stupid things." Violet murmured. Wait, what does she mean by that? "Silverfire." She sternly said. He sighed and looked back in her direction. "You owe Holly an apology, too."

"I'm sorry." Silverfire muttered underneath his breath. Violet glared at him. "I'm sorry for helping Violet." The tone in his voice told me he clearly wasn't sorry. Violet elbowed him. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry, Holly. I want to be friends again."

"See? Now was that so hard?" Tristan asked us all. Silverfire just flipped him the bird and slumped back into his seat. Violet kept eating her food, which I soon realized was slime jelly.

I patted his back sympathetically. "You need a stiff one."

"Holly, I'm nineteen. I can't drink." Tristan grumbled. I swear I could've heard "unfortunately" in there, but I'll let it slide for now.

"Oof, I feel bad for you. I'm already twenty two." I winced. Violet and Silverfire seemed to pick up on our conversation.

Violet shrugged her shoulders. "I can't drink, either. I'm seventeen." She's seventeen? Huh, I honestly thought she was older.

Silverfire started to pout a little. "Aw, man! I'm the youngest? That sucks." Wait, HE'S the youngest? He's taller than Violet, and almost as tall as Tristan! He looked at the rest of us, who were dumbfounded. "I'm fifteen." Silverfire mumbled. Well I am very glad I did not pursue that relationship.

"It's okay, Silverfire. They're old compared to us." Violet teased me and Tristan. I could tell that it was a good-natured tone, though. Silverfire smiled at Violet a little. "Anyways, we should get going. We've still got to find the king's face."

Everyone agreed to that. Soon we got going again, back onto the road. I'll have to prove myself this time. And hopefully, I can do it right.

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

Ava was a little ahead of me and Columbia, trying to get her energy out. Me and Columbia were just talking with each other, enjoying each others presence. I think me and her have gotten even closer these past few days.

"Well, maybe I've gotten better at fighting..." Columbia mumbled in embarrassment, due to me praising her battle skills. It's true, though. She's gotten extremely skilled in battle. "But you don't have to praise me all the time..."

"Oh, but I do!" I gently teased her, adding in a wink. "I need to remind my star pupil how great she is!"

"D'aww, you two are so cute together!" Ava exclaimed. She grinned slyly at Columbia. "Perhaps I should teach you how to flirt with men, Columbia!" What?! Why would Ava even suggest that? It's not like we like each other in that way!

Columbia shyly looked down at her feet. "I-I'm sure you don't have to do that, Ava..."

Ava looked slightly disappointed. "Oh, come on! We have to do SOMETHING about that little crush of yours!" Okay, what's going on?

"I don't have a crush on anyone, Ava! I thought we went through that already!" Columbia grumbled. Her cheeks were a bright red. "Stop mentioning it, too." Ava thinks that Columbia has a thing for me? How could that happen, anyways? We prefer both the image of staying just friends, thank you very much.

I sighed. "Neither of us like each other in that way, Ava. And I doubt we'll ever feel that way." Columbia shakily nodded. "Come on, let's go look for that treasure you mentioned."

"Erm..." Ava mumbled. "Actually, I have something to confess. I just made up the treasure thing to help you both get along." So, she's saying she did this just to help fix me and Columbia's friendship? That's nice and all, but we're looking for my brother.

Columbia growled. "Gee, thanks for wasting our time." For once, I agree with moody Columbia. This was a waste of time then.

"Oh, sorry about that, guys!" Ava cheerily apologized. It's kinda hard to stay mad at her. "But I saw how angry you were after saving me, so I thought I'd return the favor! But I've gotta go now, so bye!" Ava walked away from me and Columbia, but before she left, she whispered something to Columbia. "I know how much you like him, Columbia, so you'll have to tell him one day! Do it just for me, okay?" Ava then ran off behind us, probably off to Greenhorne town.

I looked at Columbia. "Mind telling me something I should know about...?"

"I told you, you're just my best friend, Stargaze. I don't feel any other way." Columbia muttered quickly. "Let's go back the way we were going, okay? And don't ask me about it anymore." Well, jeez. The way she said it, it sounds like she meant the exact opposite.

~~~

**(Holly POV)**

_Me and Jayson were taking a walk through the town roads. It'd been about a few days since he'd offered to be my personal bodyguard. What's amusing is how I'm taller than him and that he keeps latching onto my arm. To be more precise, he's also nuzzling my arm as well._

_"Okay Jayson, that's enough." I sighed. Jayson reluctantly let go of my arm. I think he's a little too attached. "Aw, it's alright," I patted Jayson's head. "I'll let you nuzzle my arm when we go back. Is that good enough for you?" He nodded his head and smiled._

_We kept walking throughout the town for a couple of minutes, and so far nobody has tried to attack me. Well, yet. There was a group of three teens around me and Jayson's age standing in front of us. I recall that there was two boys and one girl there. All three of them were glowering me._

_"Well, what do we have here? Blind-boy and the halfling hanging out together?" The one in the middle asked, who I guessed was the leader. "Very fitting, since both of you are such freaks."_

_"J-Just leave us alone, Bryce." Jayson stuttered. He knew them from before, but there was no time for me to ask._

_Bryce rolled his eyes. "And miss the opportunity to get some revenge? Nope." Bryce yanked on the collar of my clothes. "You aren't Brokenfire, but you're his daughter. Good enough for me." Bryce viciously punched me in the face over and over again._

_"I said to leave us alone!" Jayson yelled. He came rushing towards us, but the boy on Bryce's right tackled him. Bryce resumed to punching me. Each time he did it, he punched even harder the next. He kept punching me like a punching bag, and there was nothing I could do to stop it._

_Bryce then stopped. He looked up in fear. He then threw me onto the ground. "I'll come for you tomorrow, so don't forget that. Let go of him, Sam." The boy who was holding down Jayson let him go reluctantly._

_"We'll be back, halfling!" Sam hissed._

_The girl growled at us. "That's right. And all you'll ever be is a tyrant's kin." She stomped on my chest, pushing down harder on it. I could barely breathe. The girl then lifted her foot off of me. "Halfling." She muttered._

_Soon they left me and Jayson alone on the road. I'm sure people saw, but why would they care? They'd probably help them finish me off. I wasn't joking when I said everyone in town hates me. All except for my mother and father. And now, Jayson._

_Jayson got up immediately and went to my side. "My lady, are you alright?" At least he has the decency to ask...but no, I'm NOT okay._

_"N-No!" I coughed. "Please, just take me back home. I don't want to get attacked again."_

_"Okay then." Jayson nodded. He was somehow able to pick me up easily. "I'll never let anyone harm you again, Holly. Or I'll die trying."_

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

"Stargaze, get up!" I had woken up to hear the high-pitched screech of my sister, Hazel.

I rubbed my eyes. "Can't it wait? I've got nothing else to do..." Hazel barged into my room, clearly meaning business.

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "If you've got nothing else to do, then this should be a welcome experience for you."

"Point being: I'm not getting up today." I growled. "Go get Silverfire to do your chores, if that's what you're trying to trick me into doing."

"No, I need to talk to you about him." Hazel sighed. She sat on my bed. "Aren't you worried about him? Ever since mom died we both have had to take care of Silverfire. And you're not helping very much. Silverfire really looks up to you, you know."

"Hazel," I hissed. "You know that we can't get too attached! Are you saying I should start caring for him only for him to stab us in the back later?"

Hazel had tears forming in her eyes. "I didn't expect it to happen, either, Stargaze. But he's still our brother. And maybe there's a chance that he's changed-"

"That monster will never change, and you should know!" I snarled. I shook my head. "You all are fools to think he won't snap and kill us all. And if you won't listen to reason, then you'll listen when Silverfire murders over half the town and when it brings you back to reality!"

"That won't happen, Stargaze!" Hazel cried. "I won't let it!"

I narrowed my pale silver eyes. "But it will. How do I know? Because one of the accursed powers of being the "Great Sage" is foresight! Why would I want to get close to him, when I know that this village full of idiots is raising a future murderer?!"

"Silverfire wouldn't kill ANYONE. And you're the only fool to think so." Hazel spat. She left my room crying, probably to tell everyone what I'd said. So what? At least I will be safe when they're all dead. If only Hazel decided to listen to me...

~~~

**(Violet POV)**

It was noon, and we were already making progress to find the king's face. Silverfire and Tristan were ahead of me, talking about who knows what. I looked over in Holly's direction to see her sobbing quietly. Was something wrong? I slowed down a little to walk by her side.

"What's up?" I asked in a whisper. Holly looked up. Her face was stained with tears.

Holly shook her head. "You wouldn't understand, Violet." I then saw her desperate expression, telling me she that she needed to talk about it. Holly sighed. "I miss my friend. Far too much to be considered normal."

"Do you want to tell me about him? Will that help you?" I suggested. Holly nodded.

"His name was Jayson. He was blind in his left eye, but he could see through his right. Jayson was my personal bodyguard, but we had more of a friendship than anything else." Holly murmured. "He always protected me from the other townsfolk who'd beat me up." Holly was beaten in her village? But why would you harm someone who didn't do anything to you?

"Why'd they beat you up?" I whispered. "You don't have to tell me, though."

"Don't tell anyone else this, Violet. I'm half-human." Holly mumbled. She isn't fully human? Then what is she? Either way, that's a little scary. "My father Brokenfire isn't a human, I'll tell you that much. You'll probably find out for yourself if you ever go to Neksdor town. They still talk about me and Brokenfire."

"Well, I won't pressure you to tell me more." I nodded. "Your friend Jayson seems like a really sweet guy." I said, quickly changing the subject.

Holly nodded. "Yes, he is. Jayson sometimes would be a little clingy, like he would hold onto my arm and nuzzle it. Sometimes he'd act like a gentleman towards me, and other times he would peck me on the cheek." I noticed her face was becoming redder as she went on. The way she's describing him, it feels like she swooning over him.

"I'm starting to think you have lingering feelings for him." I teased her. Holly looked away, still blushing. "Are you even going to deny it?" Holly shook her head. "Don't worry, I won't tease you about it."

"You'd better not. Otherwise I get full rights to tease you about your crush." Holly muttered. "AND I'll do it in front of him, too."

"Okay, okay. Jeez. I won't tease you about it." I breathed, stepping back a little. Holly has an attitude problem, all day, every day!

"Hey guys! You might want to see this!" I heard Tristan call for us. Me and Holly ran up to them to see a large rock creature, with moss staining it's body. There was a floating, glowing light next to it. It had yellow eyes and had a mouth in it as well. It was the king's face, and it was about to be put on a monster that might just end us all.


	9. Sticks and Stones

**(Tristan POV)**

I took out my sword, ready to strike the fiend down. I noticed that Silverfire had already taken out his wand, and that Violet and Holly already got their weapons out. Silverfire was grumbling to himself.

"Look on the bright side. We found the king's face." I muttered to him. Silverfire rolled his eyes at me.

"We never seem to get a break, do we?" Holly mumbled.

Violet nodded. "Thank you! SOMEONE had to say it!" Seriously? Sometimes we get a break. Or is it just me?

I charged for the golem, ready to attack. As soon as I came close, the rock monster punched me into a tree. I hit the tree head first, and honestly, I was feeling pretty dizzy after that.

"Tristan!" I heard Violet scream. I noticed her rushing over to me. "Are you okay?"

"V-Violet..." I groaned. She grabbed my hand and took me over to Holly, who was tending to one of Silverfire's wounds. Silverfire nodded at Holly and then casted another spell, which I think was explosion. Holly saw me and Violet.

"Holly, can you heal him? I'll help Silverfire fend the golem off." Violet ordered before running over to Silverfire. Holly shrugged her shoulders and went to work on my injuries.

Holly gently rustled my hair. "Does this hurt?" She rolled her eyes.

"Yes." I sarcastically growled. As much as I hate to admit it...I actually enjoy that. Holly then slapped me in the face.

"Did slapping you work?" Holly asked, pretending to look innocent. "Silverfire told me that it's a wonderful way to heal people."

"Imma get you both back one day." I muttered. Holly chuckled and then properly healed me this time. "Alright, thanks." I told her before reaching for my sword. The golem had burn marks on it due to Silverfire's fire spell, and it was flailing it's fists wildly. Violet must be taking advantage of being a thief. I ran over behind the golem, trying to catch it by surprise.

"YAAAHHHH!!" I shouted before striking it's back. It winced, but still wasn't defeated yet. It turned to face me with a malicious glint in it's eyes. I glanced around myself. Violet was setting up another booby trap and Silverfire was nearby preparing to cast another spell. The golem rose it's fist in the air, ready to attack me. "Err...I don't wanna deal with this..." I mumbled.

I quickly jumped behind Silverfire without him noticing. The golem growled and punched Silverfire in my place, knocking the both of us back. Once we hit the ground, Silverfire noticed me behind him.

I smiled at him. "Thanks, buddy!" Silverfire glowered at me.

"Tristan!!" He shouted.

I rolled my eyes. "Sorry, sorry. Now, would you be a gentleman and get off of me?" Silverfire grumbled for a moment, and then got up off of me. He shot me one last glare. I was laughing a little, and that seemed to get Silverfire to lay off of me for the rest of the day.

"Explosion!" Silverfire called out before the golem got bombarded by a bunch of explosions. I have to admit, Silverfire is very good at magic. Almost too good...

Holly then came running over to me. "Are you hurt?" She asked with worry in her voice. I think she won't "heal" me this time.

"No, I'm just too lazy to get up. Have some patience, Holly." I mumbled. Holly just looked at me for a second and then walked away.

I then lazily got up and stretched a little. I really don't feel like trying to fight right now. I walked over to the golem, which looked like it was about to be defeated soon. Lazily, I jumped into the air with my sword in my hand.

"Jump slash..." I sighed aloud while hitting the golem in the back. It fell over and crumbled into pieces, leaving the king's face behind. "I did NOT expect that to work..." The king's face floated up, probably back to Greenhorne Castle.

Holly came over to pat my back. "Well, it worked." She headed off in the direction of Greenhorne Castle. "Let's just go see if the fat-man got his face back."

"T-That's kind of, uh...rude to say, Holly." Violet stammered.

"So what? He's not my king." Holly dismissed her.

I grinned smugly to myself. "Yep, she was born Neksdor." Silverfire was about to start laughing. It's good to see someone as young as him have a good sense of humor.

"STOP IT WITH THE BAD PUNS ALREADY, WILL YOU?!!" Holly screamed. She stomped off towards the castle.

"That was good!" Silverfire snickered, giving me a high-five. "Oh, oh! I have one! Holly should stop bluffing us, because she knows she wants to hear our puns again." We both burst out in laughter. I was crying tears of laughter as well.

"Okay, I'm done." Violet announced, heading off in the same direction as Holly.

I looked over towards Silverfire, who was still laughing. "Okay, we should go with them." Silverfire nodded in agreement, although he was unable to stop laughing.

~~~

_"Tristan!" I looked up to see my mother working on some papers. "Can you go check on your brother for me? I've called him three times, but he doesn't seem to hear me."_

_I nodded and ran up the stairs and into my older brother's room. My brother's name is Luke, and he's not the nicest of people._

_"Luke? Mom's calling for you." I whispered, but loud enough for him to hear. There was no answer. "L-Luke...?"_

_I walked into his room to see no one there. There was a note left on the sleeping bag that he slept in. I stepped closer to it so I could read the note._

_The note read: "Dear Mom and Tristan, I'm so sorry for abandoning you like this. But I couldn't stand living in this place anymore. I can't stand it any longer...please understand. I've left for a different continent already. It's called Miitopia. I hope I can see you guys again one day. From, Luke."_

_"Mom! You need to come and see this!" I yelled. How could he have left us like that? Now it'll be even harder to live here without him helping out around the house. Mom came running up the stairs and into Luke's former room._

_She looked around the room. "What happened?"_

_I handed her the note. "This happened." I muttered. She read through the note with tears starting to fall down her cheeks._

_"Why, Luke...? Why did you have to leave us now...?" She whispered._

_I fought back the tears trying to pour out of my own eyes. Luke left us. I shouldn't be sad about him. He betrayed his promise to us. To stay with us until we could get out of debt, and until me and Mom were able to live on our own without him. He doesn't deserve my tears, so why am I starting to cry? Is it because Mom's sad? I don't know._

_Mom hugged onto me tightly. "Tristan, do you promise not to leave my side?"_

_"I promise." I answered back. That was the whole truth. I will never leave my mother's side._

~~~

**(Columbia POV)**

Me and Stargaze were now at the front of the Arid Frontier, almost into Neksdor territory. I don't think I've ever been so excited! Or nervous at the same time. I'm now super far away from Ivy and Dad, and I had my chance to stay with them. I've gotta stick it out with Stargaze until he's sick of my company. And by being around him so long, I think I've learned a few things. This is the little list I made in my head:

1) That Stargaze is actually really sweet and kind, even if he doesn't show it.  
2) I'm actually kind of good at battling monsters.  
3) Being airheaded isn't a bad thing.

Stargaze was walking right next to me, not saying anything. Occasionally we'd have these moments of silence now. I realized how loud Ava really was. And I'm starting to miss having her around... But enough of that. We were still on the rocky, hard ground. And it hurts my feet. Plus, I haven't even mentioned the heat yet.

"S-Stargaze...?" I whispered. He glanced in my direction. "Why are we going to Neksdor, anyways?"

"Well, Silverfire could be anywhere, for one. And I also have some errands to run there." Stargaze explained. "I don't have a lot, though. So you don't have to worry."

"Oh. Okay, then. By the way, Stargaze..." My voice trailed off. "Thanks for letting me tag along with you." That seemed to take him by surprise.

Stargaze sheepishly nodded his head. "And I'm pretty glad I let you come along with me. It's nice to have good company."

"I'm good company to you...?" I murmured. He nodded again. I stopped myself from sighing in relief. "Thank you again."

"You're welcome." Stargaze answered back.

~~~

_I was walking throughout Greenhorne Town, happy that it was another sunny day. The weather never seemed to change that often, though, so I guess it was always a good day. I was walking in a straight line back to Dad's house, because he asked me to pick up the groceries. Suddenly I seemed to trip over something. Or someone._

_"O-Ow!" The person cried in pain. "G-Get off of me!" I quickly got up and sat on my knees to see a dark skinned man with freckles on his face. I also noticed that he had pale silver eyes as well. I blushed a little. He's honestly kinda cute._

_"Oops! Sorry..." I apologized. "I wasn't paying attention while walking." I then realized how short he was._

_He growled to himself. "Of course you weren't." I reached for his strange looking staff and at the same time, our hands were both on the staff. "Do you mind?" He hissed while his cheeks went to a rosy hue._

_I looked down at the ground. "S-Sorry..." I took my hand of the staff and glanced at him. "Erm...I, um...can you tell me your name?"_

_"And why-" He stopped suddenly when he saw the tears forming in my eyes. "My name is Stargaze. Yours?"_

_"M-My name is Columbia." I whispered. Stargaze got up on his feet nodding in acknowledgement. He turned around and stopped when I said, "W-Wait," He looked at me in the eyes. "Is it possible I can see you again...?"_

_Stargaze froze for a moment. His facial expression turned into an awkward smile. "Meet me on the Western rims of town at midnight. I'll see you tonight, Columbia."_

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

_I waited at the edge of Greenhorne Town for Columbia. I couldn't believe I had said that. What was going through my mind? I don't even like her all that much, and yet I'm still seeing her! I hope Silverfire will be alright on his own at the inn for a little while longer...I did tell him I'd be gone for a while._

_"S-Stargaze...? You actually waited for me...?" I heard Columbia whisper. Soon Columbia came out of the shadows. Unfortunately I have to look up to see her face._

_I grumbled. "I'm not that bad..." She rolled her eyes. "Follow me, there's a place I want to show you." Columbia nodded and followed me. It took about thirty minutes, but we made it to Greenhorne Cliff, which was nearby the ocean. We sat down on the edge of it, but far enough so neither of us would fall down._

_"W-Wow, Stargaze...it's so pretty!" Columbia exclaimed softly. I have to admit, she's right. The moonlight was shimmering on the ocean waves tonight, making it even better._

_"It is. I come here to help myself calm down or think over things." I explained. "It's really a wonderful place at night."_

_Columbia let out a happy sigh. "I've never seen anything so amazing before..." She nuzzled my cheek. "Thanks, Stargaze." I uncomfortably accepted the cheek nuzzle, not saying anything about it. I'm not going to ruin her happy time right now by saying that. Columbia broke away from me a little while after. I rested my head on her shoulder._

_"You're welcome, Columbia. I've always wanted to share this place with someone else." I whispered. She smiled a little._

_"Um...Stargaze?" She asked. "I-I wanna see you again after tonight." Wait, she actually wants to see me? Well, I don't want to disappoint her._

_"I'll be there tomorrow night, same time, same place." I told her. "You can count on it."_

~~~

**(Silverfire POV)**

We were now back in the castle hallway, ready to find out if King Ryan got his face back. Me and Tristan were telling puns to each other the entire way back. I didn't know he could be so funny! Violet was laughing a little, too. But Holly must really hate puns, because she told us to shut up. Again.

"I think the King has his face back." Violet announced to us.

Holly raised an eyebrow. "Why...?"

"Because the aura in here feels calmer, somehow." Violet explained. And how would she know that? Sensing auras takes a long time to master. Must be one of the perks of being "the Chosen One".

Tristan yawned. "Well, I dunno about you guys, but I could really go for a nap right now." Now that he mentions it, I'm kinda sleepy as well. "Hey, we're going in." We walked into the throne room, to see King Ryan stuffing his face. He stopped once he saw us.

"You four are the ones who saved me!" King Ryan gasped. "For restoring balance to the kingdom, please take this reward!" Two soldiers came up to us holding a giant treasure chest. My heart skipped a few beats, but I don't understand why. Why was I so excited about treasure?

They opened to reveal 1500 gold coins! That's a lot of cash! Violet and Tristan looked exceptionally happy, but Holly slowly inched away from the gold.

"Holly, are you alright?" I asked her gently. She looked up at me.

She shook her head. "N-No, I'm fine. Gold just makes me uncomfortable." I wonder why, but I know she won't tell me anyways. It's best to leave her alone.

"While we take care of this Dark Lord Mapleshade miscreant, please go warn Princess Sandee. It is of utmost importance." He ordered us before stuffing his face some more. I don't know if he's doing his job right or doing it wrong...

Violet gestured for us to walk over to the other door, which was probably the princess's chambers. We walked in to see a woman with sandy blonde hair and purple eyes. This must be the princess. Honestly, I think Violet's cuter than her, but I should keep my mouth shut. Tristan was blushing a little with his gaze fixated on her, and Holly was just being her normal grumpy self.

"Oh? Who might you all be?" Princess Sandee asked in a sweet, innocent voice.

Violet bowed before speaking. "Your majesty, we are but a simple group of travelers. We are here to warn you about the Dark Lord Mapleshade. He's already attacked the town of Greenhorne."

"What?! I-Is Felix okay?" She squealed. "I-I'm sorry...I'm just really worried about a friend of mine. Can you go to Greenhorne Town and make sure he's okay? Please?"

"Of course we will." Violet nodded her head. "We'll come back as soon as we tell him."

Princess Sandee smiled. "Thank you so much!" Great. We're doing another mission across the country.


	10. Across the Country

**(Violet POV)**

We were walking throughout the grassy fields of Western Greenhorne. Tristan was annoying Holly with his really bad puns, and Silverfire was silent the entire time. He wasn't in a bad mood or anything like that, but he was just quiet the entire time. I tapped on his shoulder.

"Everything okay?" I asked. He nodded.

Silverfire shrugged his shoulders. "I just don't feel like talking, that's all." He glanced back at Holly and Tristan. "And they're pretty funny to listen to." I have to admit, he's right. Their bickering is kind of funny.

"Tristan, STOP!" Holly groaned. In my opinion, I think she's exaggerating. "You are NOT funny at all!"

Tristan shrugged his shoulders. "Whatever, Holly. You're just encouraging me to make more puns." She roughly elbowed him, in another attempt to get him to shut up.

"Hmph. Knock it off." Holly muttered.

"What's wrong, Holly? Do you want to taco 'bout it?" Silverfire teased her. She plugged her ears, not wanting to hear anymore. "Ah, I guess she doesn't. It's okay. I'll just ask again later."

Holly glowered at them both. "Now is not the time for jokes! We need to find Felix!"

Tristan and Silverfire rolled their eyes and stayed quiet. Although Holly's right, I don't think she needed to snap at them. Holly was ahead of us, now in one of her moods. Tristan walked up to her.

"I-I...I'm sorry for annoying you so much, Holly." Tristan whispered to her. I could tell by the tone in his voice that he was being sincere. "I didn't mean to, honest..."

Holly smiled at him. "It's okay. I was overreacting." She gently kissed him on the forehead. Woah, I was not expecting that. When has Holly ever shown affection for Tristan? Holly seemed to notice me staring at them. "S-STOP STARING, VIOLET!!!"

"I didn't do anything, though." I mumbled quiet enough so she couldn't hear me. Holly rolled her dark green eyes and kept walking. Silverfire was still walking next to me, not paying any attention to the drama in front of him. He was messing with a loose thread on his robe's left sleeve.

"Violet, can you help me with this stupid thread?" Silverfire asked me. He kept yanking at the thread and more cloth kept coming out.

I grabbed his arm. "Okay, first of all, stop pulling out like that. You're only pulling out more string. Let me show you." I wrapped the thread around my index finger and yanked it off.

"Yay! You got it off!" Silverfire cheered. I smiled. Sometimes he was too adorable not to feel happy as well. "Thanks, Violet!" He gave me a hug (well, more like a squeeze) and then he walked right alongside me, resting his head on my shoulder. I blushed profusely, now in a cold sweat. My heartbeat's pace quickened with each step we took.

Silverfire looked up at me. "Huh? What's wrong Violet?" He asked, completely oblivious to the obvious signs I'm giving.

"N-Nothing." I told him. He didn't believe me, but he didn't pressure me anymore. I'm still not ready to tell him, and I don't think I ever will be.

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

Me and Columbia are now officially in Neksdor, land of nothing but sand. Columbia was already complaining about how hot it is here, and while I agree with her, complaining isn't helping anyone.

"When are we going to reach Neksdor Town? It's taking forever!" Columbia groaned. Her lab coat was wrapped around her waist since we got here. She said it was too hot so she lazily decided that it was better. Well, I'm not complaining. She didn't make me carry it. Columbia's long silver hair was shining in the sun's rays, and I must admit, she's really pretty. But I haven't told her yet.

I shrugged my shoulders. "We should be getting there soon. If not, you know the drill."

Columbia rolled her eyes. "Which one? You have way too many drills. You worry a lot about me, dude." Yes, I do.

"I always worry about you, Columbia." I reminded her. "In fact, you're on my mind 75 percent of the time." Columbia blushed ferociously.

"I'm not that important to you, am I?"

Patting her back, I nodded. "Yes! You're the best friend I've ever had!"

Columbia smiled. She crouched down a little to hug me. "You're my best friend, too, Stargaze."

We kept walking further down the path, only to encounter more monsters. There were two scaredy scorpions and one cacti stack in the middle of them. Columbia and I took out our weapons and prepared to attack the monsters.

"Stargaze!" Columbia shouted. I looked over in her direction. "Look at what I learned how to do!" She shook up her flask and then sprayed the chemicals all over the enemies holding other people's faces prisoner. All of the enemies disappeared at once, meaning she'd defeated them all single handedly. I smiled. She's such a great battler!

"That was great, Columbia!" I praised her. She giggled happily. "I think you're even better at battling than me!"

Her cheeks turned into a bright red. "I'm not THAT good, Stargaze..." Columbia smiled again. "But I'm glad you think so!" I've never seen her this happy about me complimenting her. I guess my thoughts mean a lot to her, huh?

~~~

It was now evening, and we were nearing the entrance of Neksdor Town. See, I told Columbia that we get here soon. She just doesn't listen that much. Columbia had her flask in her hands, even though I told her to put it away. She said she was doing an experiment that required it, and then she told me to mind my own business. And for the record, she's not in a very good mood right now.

I heard footsteps coming towards me and Columbia. I looked up to see a man with light brown hair and pale yellow eyes. He didn't seem to notice me and Columbia. Yet, anyways. He looked up to see us.

"Hey, who are you people?" He asked disdainfully. "You're not from Neksdor."

"I am Stargaze, the seventh Great Sage of Miitopia." I explained. I elbowed Columbia, who didn't seem to notice me still. "And she's Columbia, my traveling companion."

He raised an eyebrow. "I don't believe any of that Great Sage crap. There's no seventh, there's only six! But," The man grinned seductively in Columbia's direction. "Your traveling companion is quite the beaut. Mind if I 'borrow' her for a while?" That is disgusting!

"Yes, I mind very much!" I hissed. I glowered him, hoping he'd get the hint.

"Oh, she's your girlfriend, is she?" He asked, not caring about what I was going to say next.

I shook my head. "No! She's my best friend, and nothing more!" I noticed Columbia wince a little when she heard that. Is there something she's not telling me still?

The brown haired man crossed his arms. "Then you don't have a right to make her decisions for her." He then grabbed Columbia by the arm and yanked her towards him. "Now, now, I'll be done in a few."

"Leave me alone!" Columbia screeched. She tried to release the man's grip on her arm, but he wouldn't let go. I won't stand for this. I ran over to them, trying to pry his hand open.

"Let her go!" I demanded. The man quickly grabbed Columbia's flask with his other hand and shook it, and then opened the bottle, spraying the fluids directly into my eyes. I screamed in pain as the liquids burned through my eyes.

"Stargaze!" I heard Columbia cry. I then heard the sound of kicking, like someone had gotten kicked. Footsteps came running over to me. "Stargaze! Stargaze! Are you okay?!" Soon I realized that it was Columbia. "I'll get help, don't worry!" Quickly I realized that her voice was filled with distress and panic. She swiftly picked me up (I don't get how she did that) and started running, but I don't know in what direction. My eyelids started drooping.   
Despite struggling to keep them up, I soon gave into the grip sleep had on me.

~~~

"Wake up!" I opened my eyes to see...nothing. Why couldn't I see anything now? Was it because of what happened with that man? But I could tell it was Columbia's voice that was telling me to wake up. Is she okay? "Oh, thank goodness you're okay!"

"W-Where are we?" I croaked. My throat feels sore and I can't see. What am I going to do now?

I felt Columbia's hand brush up against my face. "There was this guy named Jayson. He let us stay here for the night so we could help you." Columbia then hugged me. "I'm sorry, Stargaze...it's all my fault!" She cried. I could tell she was sobbing now.

"It's not your fault, Columbia." I whispered gently to her.

It didn't seem to calm her down. "But if I had just listened to you and put away my flask, none of this would've happened!" True, but it's not your fault in my eyes. "And now you're blind forever because of me!"

"C-Columbia, please..." I sobbed quietly, trying to fight back any tears. "I don't blame you at all."

"But you should! Anyone else would hate me for the rest of their lives!" Columbia wailed. I could feel her tears dropping down on my clothes.

I mumbled, "But I don't hate you."

"Why not?"

"Because I-I...I love you, Columbia." I confessed to her. A weight lifted off of my chest, now making me feel lighter. That was nice to get off of my chest. Columbia was silent for a while, making me worry a little. Does she feel the same? Probably not. She did say she only thought of me as a friend.

Columbia hugged me even more tightly. "I'm so glad you feel the same way. I love you too, Stargaze." She...loves me back? I've never felt more relieved than ever right now. She then lovingly stroked my hair, making soft sounds that sounded like a cat's purr.

"Alright you two lovebirds, I think I've got a pretty good idea on who assaulted you last night." A voice told us. I'm guessing that must be Jayson. "And I'll say this; I'm not surprised it was him." Jayson knows this guy? How?

"Who was it then?" Columbia asked, her voice now a whisper.

Jayson sighed. "It was Bryce, the local dimwitt in Neksdor Town."


	11. Finding Felix

**(Holly POV)**

"Okay, let's review what we're going to do when we enter Greenhorne Town." Violet sighed. She'd been going over this several times with us, making sure we got it memorized. I can see why. We're not exactly the best at acting civilized.

Tristan grumbled to himself. "I still can't believe you're going over this with us AGAIN." He's got a good point, though. This is the what? The fifth time she's going over it?

"Well I think it's good because none of us are good at acting like civil human beings." I pointed out to him. Tristan rolled his green eyes.

Silverfire yawned. "Yeah, something always comes up when we go somewhere." I just realized that he's very calm right now. That's odd, because he was all gloomy and depressing in the morning. He wouldn't stop moping around our room in the inn.

"I don't care, Tristan. It's not a good thing that we keep fighting with each other." Violet silenced him. Tristan muttered something else, but she didn't seem to hear him. "We need to get along better, and that's a fact no one can ignore."

"And how do you propose we do that?" Tristan shot back, although his voice had no anger in it.

Silverfire tilted his head. "Maybe we could try talking about ourselves more?" He suggested. "We never really tried to get to know each other." Coming from him, that was a surprise. That's actually a pretty good idea.

Violet nodded. "True, true. Let's do that once we reach an inn, though. We're already at the entrance to Greenhorne Town." We walked into the town, not talking as much anymore. Barely anyone looked at us, being too busy with their activities to notice. I wonder where Felix was. Then I noticed a little girl with long black hair and bright silver eyes running around in circles. Chasing her was a woman with long silver hair and blue eyes. She also had a rather large fedora on as well.

"Naomi!" The woman shouted. "Get back over here!"

The little girl stuck her tongue out at her. "No!" She ran over into Violet's direction, not paying any attention to the older woman. Naomi ran right into Violet, knocking them both over.

Naomi looked up at Violet, tears in her eyes. "I-I'm so sorry, miss! I wasn't paying attention, a-and-"

"It's okay. No harm done." Violet told her, amusement gleaming in her warm amber eyes. Huh. I didn't think Violet would react like that. The silver haired woman came up to us.

"I'm sorry about my daughter," She sighed. "She just doesn't know when to listen to me!" Naomi rolled her silver eyes that had a mischievous glint in them. "Naomi's such a little rascal, but I love her." Aw, that reminds me of me and my mother. I would always cause trouble- either on accident or on purpose. My mom never says it much, but she loves me to death.

Violet chuckled lightly. "Oh, it's fine. No one was harmed, that's all that really matters." Naomi looked up at us all.

"Are all of you travelers? That's so cool!" Naomi exclaimed. "I wanna be an adventurer too, like my Aunt! But Mommy said no." She pouted.

Her mother glared at her. "That's because your Aunt left Greenhorne to be with that idiot!" Naomi muttered something else underneath her breath, but her mom didn't say anything to her. "S-Sorry, the subject of my sister leaving gets to me..."

"It's alright. I have a sister, too..." Violet mumbled. She suddenly perked up. "Hey, I do remember these two people I met so far when traveling to Greenhorne Castle...um, it was Stargaze and Columbia, I think." Violet remembers that far back? Dang, she has a better memory than me.

"REALLY?!" She exclaimed loudly. The silver haired woman cleared her throat. "Sorry.. It's just that Columbia is the name of my sister! And Stargaze is the one she ran off with...there was another with them too..." Silverfire quickly hid behind me since I'm the tallest of us all.

"Hide me." He whispered in fear. Eh, I'm too lazy to move. Otherwise I would.

"E-Either way, thank you for telling me. I need to tell my father about this and set out to find her." She thanked us, smiling. "And if you happen to see them again on your journey, tell them that Ivy was looking for them."

~~~

**(Columbia POV)**

"S-Stargaze...are you up yet?" I whispered softly. I could only hear loud snoring. He's still asleep. It'd been a whole day since the incident happened. Stargaze is now permanently blind and has a large scar across his eyes, where you could see the flesh. And it was my fault. I shouldn't've brung my flask and listened to Stargaze. Now he's suffering because of my stupidity.

I still couldn't believe what had happened last night. Stargaze...said he loves me? But why? I'm stupid, annoying, ugly, etc, etc. So why me? And why am I feeling the same way towards him? We can't be together anyways. Great Sages aren't allowed to have any form of romance or relationships once they become a Great Sage. It's one of the most strictest rules out there. My love for him is so wrong, but why does it feel so right at the same time?

Stargaze mumbled a little. "Mmph. I'm up." He didn't even bother to open his eyes, since his eyes being open wouldn't matter in the slightest now. Stargaze was sleeping right next to me on a makeshift bed Jayson made for us. "Columbia?"

"Yes?" I asked, tilting my head a little. What did he want? Was he going to clearly explain our conversation last night? Because I forgot most of it already.

"You seem upset. Is everything alright?" He whispered into my ear. No!

I looked away from him. "J-Just...thinking."

Stargaze nuzzled my cheek. "Yeah, I've been thinking too..." He sympathetically murmured. "About us, I mean." He yawned, still tired.

"Tired, are we?" I teased gently in a soft laugh. Stargaze nodded. "Yeah, me too..."

"Okay Columbia and Stargaze, get up." Jayson ordered. I mean, I'm grateful for him helping us out, but he's sometimes really bossy. "I've fixed breakfast- I mean lunch since it's already midday."

I wearily got up from the makeshift bed and looked over to Stargaze. He was still laying down in bed.

"Come on, dude. It's time to eat." I mumbled so he could hear. He turned over to the other side. "Stargaze. Get up."

"What point is there, though? I'm completely useless without my sight." He sighed. "I'm not hungry. Go get some food. You'll need it more than I will."

"S-Stargaze, you aren't useless..." I whispered, shocked to be hearing him giving up. This wasn't like the usual, stubborn Stargaze I know. He must be devastated. "Please."

Stargaze opened his eyes and looked at me with his blind eyes. "Yes I am." He whispered hollowly, his blind pale silver eyes on the brink of tears. "I don't even deserve to be a Great Sage anymore, do I?"

"Of course you do!" I answered. But Stargaze wasn't listening.

"It should've been Hazel..." Stargaze muttered. I placed my hand on his shoulder. "DON'T TOUCH ME!" He snapped. Stargaze suddenly calmed down. "I'm sorry, it's just...I need to be alone for awhile."

A tear rolled down my face. Why is he so mad? Was he lying when he said he wasn't mad at me? You know what? I'm not taking any of this shit right now. I stomped away from him, going over to the table Jayson was sitting at.

He winced. "Didn't go well, huh?" I shook my head.

"I don't get why he's so moody today! Yesterday he said he didn't blame me for last night, but after he yelled at me, I'm not so sure..." I sighed, placing a hand on my head.

"Not so sure about him not blaming you? Or is it more of that you think that he doesn't love you?" Jayson asked, his pale blue eyes glimmering with doubt. "Either way, you need to confront him about it. He shouldn't be left alone like that. Stargaze knows he needs help, but he's far too stubborn to admit it."

"How does that help me?!" I groaned. Jayson isn't exactly helping me out.

Jayson sighed. "Even if he keeps ignoring your help, you need to keep trying. He'll give in eventually, trust me." He pushed two plates over to me. "That one's for you, and that one's for Stargaze. If he doesn't eat it, I'll make sure he eats it, don't worry."

I nodded to him in understanding. Picking up the plates, I walked over to Stargaze who was still moping about. Resisting the urge to kick him for yelling at me, I set his plate on the ground next to his face.

"EAT." I demanded, shoving the plate in his face. He turned away from me. "Stargaze, I'm not dealing with this crap anymore. You're eating this food and that's final."

"Didn't I tell you I'm not hungry? Go away." He muttered.

I growled at him. "If I have to, I will force this food down your throat. Don't piss me off any further today, Stargaze. It will get messy if you do." Stargaze turned to me with widened eyes.

"A-Are you threatening me...?" He whispered, both shocked and scared.

"I shouldn't have to." I spat, glowering him some more. "Were you lying last night, when you said you loved me?"

Stargaze narrowed his eyes. "Of course not! I do love you, Columbia! I really do!" His voice was filled with desperateness.

"Then is this how you think you treat a loved one? 'Cause I sure as heck don't."

~~~

**(Tristan POV)**

We were now in the fields right outside of Greenhorne, looking for Felix. We'd heard that Sheldon was missing and Felix had ran off to help him. Judging by the way people described him, he wasn't very experienced in...well, anything.

"W-Waaaah!" A high pitched voice screamed. I think we could tell that was Sheldon. We ran over to see the young boy surrounded by goblins. Beside him was a tall man with orange hair and green eyes. That must be Felix.

"D-Don't worry, Sheldon! I-I've got this!" Felix yelped, trying to sound confident. I'm not very sure he was confident, because Sheldon covered his eyes after he said that. He charged towards the monsters and got himself easily beaten up. He flew into the air after being kicked on the bottom by one, and then landed right next to us.

Violet looked at him, her eyes widened. "You're more pathetic than I am." Felix lifted his hand to say something, but Violet interrupted him. "And yes, we'll save Sheldon."

Violet gestured for us to take out our weapons and attack the monsters. Me, being the laid-back person I am, decided to lazily use a jump slash attack to defeat one of the goblins. Violet just gave me a look that said "Really?", but she didn't speak out about it. She's really learnt how to hold her tongue.

Holly prepared to use one of her more recently learned skills: Righteous Anger. A soft white aura glowed around her, and then thrust her staff forwards. "Righteous Anger!" She shouted before one of the goblins disappeared. I smiled. She's really good at being a cleric, even if she's just a beginner. Even when I started training to be a warrior, I wasn't that good at the start.

Silverfire gave me a sly look, adding in a snicker. "You can ogle Holly later, Tristan." What? Why would he suggest that? Is he referencing to when Violet kept saying I was looking at her? Because I was not! Okay well, maybe I was a little bit, but I don't look at anyone that much anymore.

Holly raised an eyebrow at me with a sly grin. "Heh heh..." I awkwardly laughed. She seemed to enjoy that. Now why would she want that?

I then noticed Silverfire preparing to use one of the more basic mage skills, which was fire. Violet noticed him doing it too, apparently. "I'll help too!" She shouted to him. He smiled and then cast the spell.

"Fire +1!" He yelled. The last goblin disappeared, leaving the last pair of eyes floating back up to their true owner.

We won against the goblins, and Sheldon was safe. Doing things for the cause of good is really refreshing. Holly walked over to me with a seductive smile on her face.

"Well, Tristan. I never knew you liked looking at me in that way." She purred silkily. "Perhaps we should spend some quality time together tonight in our room~?" No one said we were sharing a room together, and I really don't want to find out what your sick idea of 'quality time' is. Thankfully I didn't say that out loud.

Violet came over to me and Holly. "H-Holly, I think your idea of quality time and Tristan's idea of quality time are VERY different." Yes. VERY. "And I really don't want to hear you and Tristan arguing all night, okay? If you want to, you can share with me and Tristan can share with Silverfire. Please, I think it's best if we just do male-male and female-female tonight. Especially with the way you're acting."

Holly sighed and nodded. At least that didn't happen the way she'd planned. Silverfire tapped on Violet's shoulder and gestured for us to come with him. We walked over to Felix and Sheldon.

"Thank you for saving him." Felix thanked us. Sheldon rolled his eyes.

"Saving US." Sheldon corrected him in a sassy tone of voice. Well, I think he has a reason to be a little grumpy.

Violet smiled a little. "You're Felix, aren't you?" The man nodded. "Princess Sandee sent a message. She said that she's worried about you." Felix smiled at that.

"T-That Princess is...worried about me?" Felix whispered to himself. He shook his head. "W-Wait, nevermind that for now. What were those things?"

"Monsters!" Sheldon snapped. Jeez, he is a sassy little boy! "You know, those ugly things that attack you for no reason?" Silverfire winced a little when he said that. Why'd he wince? Is he hiding something we should know?

Violet then sighed and brung Felix up to speed, which in all honesty, didn't take very long. Felix's eyes widened at the prospect of all of this happening without him knowing. Wait, just HOW did he not know?

"I can't believe all of this happened behind my back..." He whispered, half horrified and half shocked. "And the way you handled those monsters...I-I think I'll be leaving now!" He ran off in the direction of Greenhorne Town, and Sheldon shook his head and followed after him.

"Well...let's go back to Greenhorne Castle, I guess..." Violet sighed. She looked back at all of us. "And also, scratch what I said about going to an inn. We'll camp out instead."

~~~

**(Stargaze POV)**

I held back the tears in my eyes. Columbia was right. I don't treat anyone right. Sighing, I begrudgingly ate the food Jayson fixed for us. Why did I yell at her like that? I'm not angry with her. I'm not angry with Bryce, either... Who am I mad at?

Columbia told me that she loved me. And I love her too. I shouldn't love her at all, but why? It's wrong. Very wrong. Neither of us should've met each other. Maybe that would've fixed everything. But I can't turn back time, and I'm going to be punished for breaking one of the most ancient laws passed down since Bright Scar's days...

"Hey, Stargaze." I recognize that voice. It was Jayson. "Columbia told me what happened. What's up?"

"I don't know anymore...I'm just so angry, and I don't know why!" I growled, covering my head with my hands. I felt Jayson's hand pat my back. "Jayson, I didn't mean to snap at anyone..."

Jayson sighed. "I know. But you hurt Columbia when you yelled at her like that. Both of you are in pain. You need to help each other out."

"But how? I doubt she'd want to talk to me at all right now, and I'm well aware, thank you very much!" I hissed at him.

"Stargaze, if the two of you truly love each other, you wouldn't just give up like that. Sometimes we need to take matters into our own hands, not leave it to others." Jayson whispered. "I've learned that from experience, Stargaze. Many times."

I got up from the makeshift bed. "W-Where is she?"

"Since you aren't used to being blind, I'll help you." Jayson told me. He grabbed my hand and then walked away, leading me somewhere. "You need to rely on your other senses to get your way around. Luckily, you have that staff so you do have something to help you walk."

After some more walking, we stopped. "Just walk forward. Columbia's right in front of us. I'll be back later, okay?" Jayson murmured before leaving me alone. Carefully, I walked forwards to Columbia. Soon I tripped over my foot (I think) and fell into some water.

"Oh, Stargaze!" I heard Columbia cry. She lifted me out of the water and placed me beside her. "You're not hurt." Columbia sighed in relief. "But don't think I haven't forgotten earlier today."

"C-Columbia...I'm sorry for that." I mumbled.

Columbia hissed at me. "For what? Be more specific, there's more than one thing you should be sorry for." I really put her in a bad mood, didn't I? Isn't there anything I could do to fix it?

"I'm sorry for being such a..." I began.

"Such a dick? A douchebag? That perfectly describes you today." Columbia interrupted me, her voice seething with pain and anger.

Nodding, I started to cry. "I-I know...and I don't get why I'm so angry. I'm not angry with you, Bryce, Jayson...nobody! So why am I so angry?"

"You can't be angry with no one, Stargaze. It's someone you're mad at." Columbia growled. Is she right? "So who is it? Who are you angry at?"

"I'M ANGRY AT MYSELF, OKAY?!" I exploded, bursting out all of my anger at once. "I'm mad at me being chosen to be the next Great Sage, I'm mad at myself for falling in love when I'm not supposed to and I'm angry at myself for living! Does that satisfy you?"

I felt Columbia's arms wrap around my shoulders. "You shouldn't be angry with yourself, Stargaze. You are an amazing person, of course you were chosen to be the next Great Sage." Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "I'm happy you're alive, Stargaze. You're the main reason I'm still alive right now." She stroked my hair, her fingers running through it. "So screw the rules. We love each other and that's final." Columbia then kissed me on the cheek, making me blush profusely.

Smiling, I wrapped an arm around her. "I know. And I'll always love you, Columbia."

~~~

**(Silverfire POV; Skip to Arid Frontier)**

It was already midday and we already want to get to an inn. Violet was struggling with scaling the rough terrain of the Arid Frontier, Tristan was having no trouble over here, and Holly was more grumpy than usual. Why are we here? Well, the King asked us to go get Princess Sandee's fiance, Prince Delmar. He said Prince Delmar should be waiting at the Arid Frontier with his younger brother, Prince Spiritmask.

"Ugh, I can't believe I've gotta meet the big-shot idiots of my country in person." Holly grumbled.

Tristan tilted his head. "How are they idiots?" He asked.

Holly shook her head. "Delmar is a brat, and Spiritmask is too innocent and kind for his own good. And one of them will be King of Neksdor one day."

"At least Spiritmask sounds nice." Violet remarked while getting up from tripping over a rock. "If what you're saying is true, then what does that mean for Greenhorne after Delmar and Sandee's marriage?"

"Violet, we don't want to imagine all the possible wars that would come out of it." Holly grimaced. She narrowed her eyes. "Yup, that's them over there. Let's go." Tristan followed after her, a tiny blush across his cheeks. Oh Bright Scar, I'm starting to think he's in love with her. Violet tried to keep up with them, but was struggling to stand up. I grabbed her by her hand.

"W-Would you like some help?" I stuttered, my face turning a dark shade of pink. Violet nodded, smiling a little.

She blushed somewhat as well. "C-Could I...have a piggyback ride, Silverfire...?" She mumbled. I nodded, crouching down so she could get onto my back. "Yay!" Violet cheered before getting on my back. I carried her over to Holly and Tristan, who were waiting for us. Tristan was stifling his laughter and Holly was laughing out loud.

"What? I'm just giving her a piggyback ride." I told them, confused to why they were laughing. "What?" I asked, this time more irritable.

"Nothing," Holly snickered. "Since you don't get it. Come on, let's keep going." We kept going towards Prince Delmar and Prince Spiritmask. Violet was still on my back, and she was nuzzling my cheek. Tristan and Holly were talking to each other merrily, enjoying each other's company a little too much. Soon we met Prince Delmar and Prince Spiritmask.

Prince Delmar was a short dark skinned man with brown hair and puffy cheeks. He had dark brown eyes that shone with ferocity. He was wearing some golden princely outfit of some sort. Prince Spiritmask was taller than him. He had pure white long hair and red eyes. Spiritmask also had freckles on his face and had a large scar going over his left eye. He also was wearing some pink threads that looked like the male pop star's, but they looked fancier. I also think it's worth mentioning that he was also holding a pink microphone in his left hand that had a large pink ribbon on it. Spiritmask certainly likes pink.

"Hi!" Spiritmask shouted while smiling. "I'm Prince Spiritmask, but you can just call me Spiritmask!" Dear Bright Scar his voice is high pitched! I think I'm deaf now. Wait- nope, he's still talking.

"Shut up you idiot!" Delmar hissed. "ANYways, you imbeciles are late. Take me to Princess Sandee at once!" Oh boy, what fun.


	12. The Two Brothers

**(Violet POV)**

"And you want to hear another great thing about me?" Delmar asked us, not caring about our subtle protests against it. "Good! Now, once I was in the desert of Neksdor..."

I leaned over in Holly's direction. "Get him to shut up!" I whispered through gritted teeth. Holly shook her head.

"I don't wanna get beheaded today, Violet." Holly quickly replied. "You might want to, but I definitely don't." Is Delmar that bad...? If so, then wow. I'm going to move back home once he becomes King of Neksdor. Luckily I don't live anywhere near Neksdor, so that's a plus.

Delmar kept talking about his greatest feats, which we could all tell that they weren't real. Next he started talking about how he defeated the great tyrant who used to used to torture the residents of Neksdor, Brokenfire. Delmar also talked about how Brokenfire and a female resident of Neksdor Town had a quote on quote- "disgusting half-blooded child". Holly just sighed and looked down at her feet. OH. That's what she meant.

"But I'm not him..." Holly murmured in a soft voice, soft enough so Delmar couldn't hear her. Tristan seemed to notice Holly's sorrow demeanor, so he walked next to her, comforting her. Holly's aura felt upset and angry right now. Tristan's felt comforting, but once I looked deeper, I could tell there was a sense of despair and shame. Why was he so upset? Has he always felt this way?

I'm actually still on Silverfire's back, by the way. He might've forgotten I'm up here, to be completely honest. Silverfire isn't very good at remembering anything or anyone that well. He was talking to Spiritmask, who was telling Silverfire about his plans to one day become friends with everyone in Miitopia. I could tell that Spiritmask was serious when he said that.

"I've already made a good start, too!" Spiritmask cheered. "There's a really funny prisoner in the castle dungeon who likes talking to me! She's my friend!"

"Correction: Although insulting you is fun, it is not funny in itself. And she only talks to you because you're the only one who she can talk to. Because no one else goes down there but you." Delmar growled at him. "Besides, she's the only prisoner we have anyways..."

"Delmar, Hazey is my friend, and I'm sure she enjoys talking to me too!" Spiritmask spat. I would never have guessed that the Prince of Neksdor would love talking to people in jail. And also, he calls the girl down there Hazey? That is hilarious and so cute! I doubt she likes it, though. "Because she's pretty much really nice to me, so she doesn't yell at me when I call her Hazey."

"Yeah, right." Delmar rolled his eyes. "Since you're all such slow imbeciles, I'll go ahead!" He charged forward, only to run into a large bird/lion creature with eyes on its wings. I think I know what creature this is. It's a griffin, one of the most ferocious creatures that Dark Lord's ever made. How do I know this? I read a book at the last inn we were at.

The griffin smacked Delmar in the face with its large wings, and I internally willed it to do it again. But then again, King Ryan said to bring him back ALIVE... I jumped of off Silverfire's back. Me and the rest of the team took out our weapons and charged for the griffin. I threw one of my daggers at the griffin, distracting it from Delmar. Tristan attacked it using one of his newer skills, Spin Slash. He looked at Holly after he attacked it, with a hopeful expression on his face. Holly smiles at him and nods.

Silverfire casts the lightning spell on the griffin, causing it to wince in pain. It lunged towards Silverfire, ready to attack him. Suddenly Spiritmask jumped in front of him, taking the blow. Silverfire looked at him in shock. Spiritmask just took the attack for him, and he barely even knows him. He weakly smiled, in pain due to the brute force of the griffin's attack.

"Thank you, Spiritmask." Silverfire breathed. Spiritmask nodded, still in pain. Holly ran up to him and healed Spiritmask's wounds, and then I noticed Tristan sneaking from behind it, ready to attack it with his sword. He striked the back of the griffin's head, making it turn swiftly on him.

Rushing forward, I jumped up into the air to attack using my skill called Whirlwind Blades. Multiple wounds appeared on the griffin as I hit it again and again. The griffin then lashed its tail at my face, knocking me backwards into Tristan.

"S-Sorry, bud." I apologized to him. He nodded and then gestured for me to get up. Running over to the griffin again, I tried to steal an HP Banana because my health was getting pretty low. It smacked me again, this time towards where Holly was. She was just finishing healing Silverfire. I landed right next to her after Silverfire got up again. Holding onto my dagger, I attempted to get up.

Holly placed her hand on my arm. "Violet, no. I can heal you." I shook off her arm.

"No! I can do it myself!" I shot back at her. Holly grumbled something to herself, and got up as well. She sighed in a rather sulky fashion and barely even tried to attack the griffin. What was she doing? It easily was able to knock her away from it, leaving a bruise on her face. Spiritmask ran over to Holly and sang her a song of some sort. She smiled a little, and she looked much happier than before.

I then saw Delmar looking angry and jealous. Well, that serves him right. He shouldn't've charged into it in the first place. "Hmph! Looks like it's time for me to step in!" He huffed. What? He's just going to get himself killed- actually, that wouldn't be a bad thing. Delmar didn't even do anything, though, making him a good distraction. The griffin lunged towards him and then Spiritmask jumped in front of Delmar, taking the hit. Delmar looked shocked.

"W-Why would you do that, you imbecile?! You could've gotten even more seriously injured!!" Delmar yelled at him, a hint of concern in his voice.

Spiritmask looked back at Delmar. "Brothers should always look out for each other, no matter what." Wow, even with Spiritmask having a horrible brother like that, he's too kind to let him get hurt? That's some dedication, I must say.

Delmar weakly nodded, to shocked to process the situation at hand. Silverfire and Tristan were fighting next to each other side by side, attacking the griffin by one of them attacking it until the griffin attacked the attacker, and then the other started attacking it, confusing the griffin. I never thought I'd see the day when they'd work together like that. With the last hit they landed on it together, the griffin disappeared, leaving a pair of eyes to float back to their owner.

"Whew...that was a doozy!" Tristan sighed. In a way, he's right. I saw Silverfire panting, probably out of breath. He smiled at me, making me smile back awkwardly and blush immensely. I love it when he smiles at me. Someone's hand touched my shoulder.

"Violet, you can drool over Silverfire later. Right now we've got to escort dumb-dumb over there to Greenhorne Castle." Holly reminded me. I don't DROOL over Silverfire! H-He just makes me drift into daydreams a lot.

"Hey! What did you just call me?" Delmar growled. Holly stiffened immediately.

"N-NOTHING! NOTHING AT ALL!" Holly called over to him.

Delmar glowered her some more. "That's what I thought." He pointed over in the direction of Greenhorne Castle. "Now onward, group of imbeciles! To my Princess Sandee!" Delmar ran off to the Castle, leaving us behind.

I turned to my team, who was pissed off with him as well. "Who's in favor of stabbing him the back? Literally." Everyone raised their hands except for Spiritmask.

"You know, if you do that all four of you would be thrown in prison." Spiritmask told us in a pissed tone of voice. Silverfire rolled his eyes.

"I'm SO SCARED of being thrown in prison. Just...AAAHHH." Silverfire retorted slowly, trying to prove his point. Spiritmask huffed and stomped forward to catch up with his brother. Holly just stared at Silerfire.

"Seriously, dude? None of that was necessary. Like, at all." Holly hissed in a low voice.

Silverfire ignored her. "Whatever. Let's just go to Greenhorne Castle." He muttered. Are they going to start fighting again?

~~~

**(Silverfire POV; Skip to Greenhorne Castle)**

I followed Violet, Tristan and Holly into the doors of Greenhorne Castle, which were just left open. That's odd. Wouldn't that serious soldier be in front of it asking for our ids for the millionth time? It was pitch black in there, and I could hear the sounds of clashing weapons. We ran forward to see an enemy with glowing yellow eyes stuck onto it and holding a pitchfork. It was an Imp, one of the most loyal monsters to serve the Dark Lord.

Violet immediately threw one of her daggers at it. The Imp winced in pain and then disappeared. What was that? We all looked over to Violet with a questioning glare.

"I over-trained last night. Heh heh..." Violet chuckled softly. I guess I can't hold it against her. She's naturally cautious, so it makes sense for her to do that. I'm just worried if she's over doing it. What if something bad happens because she keeps training by herself?

Tristan and Holly didn't say anything, but they kept giving Violet suspicious glares. It was mostly Holly, though. We kept walking to the throne room while checking the halls for more Imps. There was one other besides the one that attacked us, but we defeated it as easily as the last. Soon we entered the throne room, seeing the King about to be attacked by a...bigger Imp. Yeah, that's what I'll call it until someone rudely corrects me. Tristan lunged towards the bigger Imp with his sword and hit it in the chest. It smacked him with it's pitchfork, causing him to wince with pain.

"Tristan!" Holly cried, running towards Tristan. She immediately cast Cure on him and hugged him. Both of them were blushing profusely. Holly then whacked the bigger Imp with her staff.

The bigger Imp easily shook her off and glared at me and Violet. It looked torn for a second, but then started to make a reddish black circle with it's pitchfork in my direction. It then striked the middle, splitting it in half. Suddenly my head started hurting. It felt like with each second I was dying and losing myself as the pain endured. My hands started to morph into long, slim paws with sharp talons at the end. No. I can't let them see.

Howling with pain, I stabbed myself in the face with the sharp talons to stop with the transformation. I sunk them in further, doing it deep enough to knock myself out. The last thing I heard before passing out was Violet screaming my name over and over again...

~~~

**(Tristan POV)**

"SILVERFIRE!!!" Violet screeched while shaking his body wildly. Her eyes were on the brink of tears, anger and confusing both shining in her eyes. Oh Bright Scar. I can't help but feel bad, even though I never understood why Violet liked him so much. She glanced up to look at the Naughty Imp. Violet was pissed off now. Tears falling down her cheeks, she rushed up to it stabbed it in the middle of its face. It disappeared, leaving the face to go back to its owner.

Holly shared a concerned glance with me. "Go help Silverfire, I'll check on Violet." I ordered her. She nodded and ran over to Silverfire, who was bleeding nearby his eyes. The claw mark on his face wasn't there before, so where did it come from...? Running over to Violet, I called out to her as she now sat on the ground crying.

"Violet. Please look at me." I whispered gently, trying as hard as I could not to provoke her. She turned to me, tears falling down onto her clothes. "Holly's going to help Silverfire, alright?"

She sniffed. "I know, but I feel so helpless...I didn't do anything to help him..." I stroked her cheek with my hand, also wiping away the streams of tears. "T-Tristan..." Violet murmured. I didn't expect it, but I lunged towards her and kissed her on the cheek. Quickly breaking away, I expected her to yell at me. "W-Why...?" She asked, in a tiny daze.

I sighed. "V-Violet, I know we'd never work out and that you have a thing for Silverfire, but..." I never wanted to say this. But if I don't say it, then that the truth will never be known. "The truth is, I've had feelings for you for a while now." Violet looked floored.

"I-I didn't think..." She stammered. I didn't realize it until earlier today. It may seem completely random, but the truth is what it is. And I know she won't feel the same. Violet shook her head. She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Tristan, it's okay. You're still my friend, right?" I nodded. "We'll just carry on the way we've been. And by the way, Holly does seem to want to get closer with you." Wait, is she saying Holly likes me?

"D-Do you mean...?" I whispered, looking over in Holly's direction. Holly was done healing Silverfire, and he was just starting to wake up. We shared a brief look for a moment. Her green eyes shone with admiration, and it'd just hit me that Holly's liked me for a while now. Huh. I guess she's learned from her and Silverfire. "Ooooohhhhh."

"Yeah, 'ooooohhhhh' is right. You'd best get up now, buddy. I need to see Silverfire." Violet immediately rushed over to Silverfire, happiness highlighting her amber gaze on him. I walked over to Holly, who was blushing immensely when she saw me come closer.

"H-Hey, um, Tristan...can I tell you something really important?" Holly asked in the softest voice possible. I think I already know what it is. "I-I...love you." Knowing Holly, she'll be devastated if I said I don't feel the same. She's already fallen for Silverfire and was rejected. To be honest, even if I don't feel the same, I don't want her to be all upset about it.

"I'm glad you feel the same way, Holly." I lied, smiling and trying to keep myself under control. "I love you too." Oh Bright Scar, it hurt saying that and making Holly think I feel the same. But I can't say the truth, or else Holly will be so upset and it'll be my fault. And it hurts when Holly's upset.

Holly perked up. "R-Really? You feel the same too?" She whispered incredulously. I nodded as realistically as I could. "You know Tristan, I wouldn't mind going into a relationship now, if you don't mind." Is she saying that she wants to start dating? Is that what she's saying?"

I smiled at her. "I don't mind at all, Holly." She didn't seem to notice what I said anyways.

"Then we're officially a thing." Holly purred. She fluttered her eyes dreamily, happy that she could now act like this in front of me. "And also, Tristan- has anyone ever told you how muscular you are? Because I could just eat you up~!" That's to be expected if you're a warrior, lazy or not. You've always gotta be prepared to draw your sword, to defend anyone or to do anything combat related. That's the only reason I am muscular. Otherwise things would be different.

"Hey, come on guys." Violet called for us. We looked up to see Violet and Silverfire waiting for us. "Let's check on Princess Sandee. The Dark Lord might've attacked her, too!" We rushed into the Princess's chambers to see Princess Sandee and Felix faceless, Prince Delmar cowering in the corner of the room and Prince Spiritmask glaring at a dark and shadowy figure. Mapleshade.

 


	13. Fire of the Broken One

**(Columbia POV)**

Stargaze was still smiling after that talk we had. I am too. He seems much more happy than he's usually ever been. Stargaze was holding my hand trying to contain his happiness since we were walking through town. We were looking for Jayson, actually. But I don't remember where his house is and Stargaze is blind...

"Maybe over here...?" I asked myself. There was an alleyway that looked somewhat clean and it had small houses once you reached the end.

Stargaze noticed the question I'd asked myself. "Please don't get us lost, Columbia." He pleaded. He really doesn't have that much faith in my directional skills, does he? Not that I blame him. I don't trust them either.

"I'll try not to. But if I accidentally do, then at least we'll be lost together." I sighed. Stargaze seemed relieved with that answer. We kept walking forward. There was a short man standing in front of us, about as short as Stargaze. He had blond hair with pale blue highlights and had dull pink eyes. He was wearing a penguin vestment, which in all honesty was adorable.

"Who are you?" I asked him. He narrowed his eyes. Uh oh. Was that a bad thing?

"My name's Frost Rineheart. Are you lost?" He hissed. I nodded.

"Y-Yes, me and Stargaze were looking for this man called Jayson. He's taking care of us for now. Do you know him?" I stuttered.

Frost raised an eyebrow. "Of course I him. He's my brother, after all." He looked behind himself. "I can take you to his house. He's probably back at home by now."

"Please take us there." Stargaze mumbled. Frost gestured for me and Stargaze to follow him. I sure hope that this man can be trusted...

~~~

**(Silverfire POV)**

"Mwaa ha haaaaa!" Mapleshade laughed while holding Felix and Sandee's faces in his hands. Spiritmask glared at him, his red eyes burning with hatred. "So dear prince, what're you going to do now? Sing a song? Or- oh wait. That's all you can do, now is it?"

Spiritmask just hissed at Mapleshade. "Shut up! Give them their faces back!" Mapleshade snorted. I'll admit, Spiritmask is pretty brave to stand up to the Dark Lord.

"And why should I? Their faces are far more valuable to me than your own. And now, I must leave. Perhaps I'll see you again- I hope not." The Dark Lord growled before disappearing into thin air. Felix and Sandee's faces were now gone along with Mapleshade. Spiritmask looked down at his feet. I could hear him softly sobbing.

"I should've done something..." Spiritmask whispered hollowly. He's right. He should've. He was shaking violently. "Bright Scar help them..." Violet walked up to him and patted his back. He looked up at her.

"You did do something. You stood up to the Dark Lord. That's something." Violet softly whispered, trying to comfort the young prince. Aw, that's really sweet of her. Even I wouldn't be able to do that. He sniffed a little more.

"R-Really...?" Spiritmask murmured, still crying a little. Violet nodded. Spiritmask hugged her, and to me it looked more like a squeeze. "Thank you!" He cried. The two broke away from each other and stood up face to face.

Violet gently rustled his hair. "It's alright. We're going to save them anyways." Spiritmask's red eyes brightened.

"Can I come too? I wanna help!" Spiritmask beamed. Oh dear, I don't think he realized the perils of saving faces of important people. Violet, looking overwhelmed by Spiritmask's sudden mood change, agreed to let him come. "Yay! I won't let you guys down, I promise!"

~~~

Soon we were on our way to Nightmare Tower, the place where the Dark Lord had apparently gone. But we're going off of Tristan's guess, so it's not very reliable. Holly and Tristan were holding hands, chatting to each other in a really weird way. Violet was up in the front, trying to read a map of Greenhorne that she "borrowed" from an inn. And I'm stuck dealing with Spiritmask.

"Is it fun adventuring? Is it hard? Do you have to battle enemies all the time?" Spiritmask kept baraging me with questions.

"Yes, yes, whatever." I grumpily answered. Don't get mad at me. It's not my fault he decided to ask me all these questions. "Isn't there anybody else you want to both- ask your questions to?" Luckily Spiritmask didn't seem to notice my slip up.

"No, because Tristan and Holly are acting all weird and Violet told me to annoy you." Spiritmask told me as matter of factly. Thank you, Violet. Thank you for giving me the task of dealing with this annoyance. "But I don't know what the word 'annoy' means...is it something good?" I don't want to piss him off, so I just nodded.

"Can you please just be quiet for a while, Spiritmask? I don't feel like talking right now." I sighed. Spiritmask looked disappointed for a second, but quickly realized that I wasn't going to listen to him either way.

Honestly, I would've been fine with him just talking without a care in the world because I would've spaced out at some point. Not on purpose, of course. I can't control when I'm airheaded and when I'm not. Sometimes I can pay attention very well, but other times it's just...really hard. I wish I could be carefree and just be myself, but it always feels like I can't be myself. I just want to be childish and happy again, is that too much to ask? Eh, probably is...

~~~

_I looked over in Stargaze's direction. He was sitting down on a chair, reading a book. Ever since he'd become the Great Sage Rakim's apprentice, he'd never have time for me or Hazel. Not like he really paid attention to us anyways... Hazel was asleep on the floor, her tiny pet dragon Koji sleeping on her stomach._

_"Stargaze?" I asked. Stargaze glanced over to me._

_He looked irate. "What?"_

_"I'm bored." I groaned. "Can you play with me? Or show me one of those really cool spells that Rakim taught you?" Stargaze shook his head. Why didn't he want to be around me? At least he wouldn't ignore Hazel. So why doesn't he like me? We're brothers._

_Stargaze sighed. "Silverfire, you wouldn't understand." He got up from the chair and headed to the door. "Tell Hazel I went out if she wakes up." Stargaze left me and Hazel alone in the house. For the tenth time this week, I think. Hazel was starting to wake up, her soft groans echoing throughout the room._

_"Did Stargaze leave, Silverfire?" She mumbled, opening her eyes a little. I nodded. "It's like he doesn't care about us anymore."_

_"Easy for you to say. He never cared about me." I spat, baring my teeth. Hazel sighed, looking away from me._

_"He knows things, Silverfire..." Hazel murmured. "It's best not to ask him about it." Her eyes glinted with sorrow and guilt she gazed over in my direction. Koji made a soft coo, signaling that he was almost ready to wake up._

_"So just because he's the Great Sage it means I shouldn't know anything?" I hissed. "That's just wrong and stupid!"_

_Hazel shook her head. "No, Silverfire. That's not what I meant." She narrowed her hazel eyes. "But if what he told me was true...you'll have to grow up real quick, lemme tell you."_

_"But I don't wanna grow up yet." I muttered. Hazel sighed and closed her eyes._

_"Sometimes we don't have a choice."_

~~~  
 **(Stargaze POV)**

_Silverfire and Hazel were standing beside me. A few other kids were standing nearby us as well. What were we doing? Well in our village, the Great Sage Rakim was going to pick his apprentice; the next Great Sage. I really hoped it wasn't me, because I'm simply not Great Sage material. Great Sages are supposed to be wise and belovenent. I'm dumb and stubborn. Not the greatest combination, if you asked me. Rakim glanced at all of us one more time before choosing. Chances are it's either Silverfire or Hazel. They're the only ones who have real potential._

_Rakim walked over to the part of the line where me, Silverfire and Hazel were standing. So he IS going to pick one of them. Soon he stopped in front of us. Looking down at my feet, I sighed. Who even suggested I give myself a chance? There's no way I'd be chosen anyways. Something tapped on my shoulder. I looked up to see Rakim staring me down, his staff placed on my shoulder and his brown eyes narrowed._

_"You." Rakim simply uttered. The village broke into shocked gasps. None of them liked me that much or expected that much of me, so of course they were shocked. "You will be the next Great Sage." He reclarified, so they would get over their shock. I looked over to Hazel, who was smiling at me a little. Then I noticed Silverfire beaming with joy. The other villagers gradually shifted to a somewhat happy cheer. Soon the villagers dispersed and went back to what they were doing beforehand._

_Hazel smiled at me, her hazel eyes gleaming with approval. "Good for you, Stargaze. I'm sure you'll do great!" Her eyes looked slightly pained for a second, as if she was upset. She sighed, a weak smile on her face. Was she lying to me? I felt someone poke my shoulder._

_"Yay! Stargaze's even cooler than before!" Silverfire cheered. In all honesty, I hope he's always carefree like this. Even if it gets on my nerves sometimes. "You're going to be even better at magic than Hazel and me! Oh, I can't wait for you to tell me all that happens after today!" Rakim narrowed his eyes at Silverfire, but said nothing. Does he dislike Silverfire or something?_

_"Stargaze, come with me. We'll begin our first lesson now." Rakim ordered me. Silverfire tilted his head in confusion, while Hazel just looked at him strangely. "Yes, now." Not wanting to mess up, I just followed Rakim out of the village. We were soon in a small and tiny clearing._

_"W-Why are we here?" I whispered. Rakim sharply pointed at the ground, signaling for me to sit. Although the ground looked uncomfortable, I sat down on it anyways. The Great Sage sat down in front of me._

_Rakim sighed. "Stargaze, I've brought you out here for an important reason."_

_I raised an eyebrow. "Is it tradition?" Rakim shook his head._

_"You're...a special case, Stargaze." Is that his way of saying I'm going to suck at this? "I've been receiving visions, and, well...you were the best option out of them all."_

_"B-But how?! I'm not able to use ANY magic! Only Silverfire and Hazel can do that!" I protested. "So why me?"_

_"There were certain futures that would end in chaos if I picked any differently. That's why I chose you." Rakim grumbled. "Now, I'll need you to meditate so I can transfer some of my power to you- you know how to meditate, right?" I nodded, closing my eyes. "Good. We'll begin now." Rakim placed his hand on my left shoulder. A strange surge of power flowed within my veins, distracting me from my current thoughts. Black and white images started to swirl within my mind._

_One that seem to keep popping up was one that large shadowy figure that seemed to be a monster. Multiple times I saw it destroy the village and kill...over and over. And right before it always appeared, a young boy with wild hair was in its place. Who was that? My vision went blurry. Soon I couldn't see anything but blankness. Is this foreshadowing my future? Suddenly a dark gray creature of some sort tackled me and brought me back to consciousness. Panting heavily, I looked up at Rakim._

_"W-What was that?" I whimpered. Rakim sighed and looked away. "Rakim!"_

_Rakim didn't bother to glance at me. "That's called foresight. It's not much, but it can help you stop disasters from happening." Rakim turned back towards me. "Why don't we discuss something else so you'll forget that? You're not used to seeing visions, after all."_

_I tilted my head. "Talk about what?" I'll take anything over visions._

_"Rules, perhaps?" Rakim grumbled, with an edge to his voice. Why was he so upset? Doesn't he think I can follow any rules? "First off- you are absolutely NOT allowed to have any romantic relationship with ANYONE or have children with anyone. Got it?" Rakim growled angrily. Jeez, I didn't do anything to hurt anyone! He's acting like I'm a criminal!_

_"I don't even want to do any of that romantic crap! Why'd you even suggest that?" I hissed. Rakim rolled his eyes._

_"Irony will hit you hard one day, Stargaze. Mark my words." Rakim muttered._

~~~

Me and Columbia were back at Jayson's house, and for whatever reason he's still not back yet. So Frost has to stay and watch us until he comes back. I was sitting next to the makeshift bed while Columbia was resting on it. For some reason as soon as she got in bed she fell asleep. And I tried waking her up, but she wouldn't stir. I'm well aware she's not dead since she's still breathing. Gently stroking her hair, I closed my sightless eyes. Columbia's breathing sounded heavy and congested. Is she sick?

"Erm, Frost?" I called to him softly. Soft footsteps could be heard from the room next door. "I think Columbia's sick."

"Sure she is." Frost muttered underneath his breath. I held back a sharp retort. "Let's see then." I think he was checking for signs of sickness, but I don't trust him that much.

"You'd better not be checking her out." I warned him, a growl edging my voice. Frost grumbled something else underneath his breath, but didn't say it aloud.

Frost sighed. "I've seen this before. And if this sickness is back, then that means the seal is broken! This is bad, really really bad!" Frost started fretting. "Why can't we just go without a break?!" What seal?

"I don't know what you're talking about." I reminded him. Frost didn't seem to hear me.

"You're a Great Sage, right? Then you're coming with me so we can fix this mess!" Frost demanded.

"What about Columbia? Who'll watch her?" I hissed at him.

"I'll get my friend Cindy to watch her. So let's go." Frost grumbled. Does he even care about Columbia? The fact that she's extremely sick and needs constant supervision means SOMEONE has to take care of her!

I crossed my arms. "I'm not going unless I know that Columbia will be alright when we get back."

Frost hissed at me one more time. "She'll get better as soon as we fix this problem." Muttering to myself, I followed his annoying voice out of the door. I stopped suddenly when I heard Columbia whisper something in a rasp.

"S-Stargaze..." She rasped. "I-I love you..." Columbia then fell back asleep, her congested snoring disturbing the peace once again.

I smiled a little. "I love you too." I whispered back. Please Columbia, don't die while I'm gone. Me and Frost walked out of the house, going as quick as we could.

"What was that about?" Frost disdainfully asked. "Ya know, with you and her. Great Sages aren't supposed to be romantically involved with anyone, last I heard."

"Screw the rules." I muttered. "I can love whoever I want; Columbia's no exception." Frost grabbed my hand and started walking even faster.

"Well I hate to admit it, but let's be honest: Columbia IS rather beautiful." Frost reluctantly sighed. "I can somewhat see why you fell for her." We came to a sudden stop. "We're here, at the place where Great Sage Rakim sealed away Brokenfire."

~~~

**(Spiritmask POV)**

Silverfire still wasn't talking. I'm starting to get really worried, because now he's looking away from everyone. Tristan and Holly were still acting weird, and I don't get why. Violet was muttering to herself up in the front. I tapped on Silverfire's shoulder.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. Silverfire glanced at me, his eyes full of tears. His cheeks were stained with the lines of dried up tears and more were falling down, taking their place. Silverfire shook his head. Like ice cream, he started melting down- but in tears. Wrapping my arms around him, I gave him a hug. Everyone else seemed to notice us behind them, slowing down. Violet rushed over to us.

"Silverfire, don't cry." Violet gently willed him, rubbing his back. She shot a quick glance at me. "What's wrong?" She whispered. I shrugged my shoulders. I don't know what's wrong, but it's obviously upsetting him a lot. Tristan and Holly came over to us too, confused to why Silverfire suddenly broke down and trying to comfort him.

"It's...well..." Silverfire sighed, tears still escaping his eyes. "I really don't feel like myself at all." Holly tilted her head, while Tristan and Violet seemed to understand. "It feels like I can't be 'Silverfire', it's like I've gotta be someone else all the time, everyday..."

Violet nuzzled his shoulder. "But you can be yourself. We'll like you just the same." Tristan gently slid his fingers through Silverfire's long and wild dark auburn hair. Holly patted his back. I'd do something to help him, but what am I supposed to do? He doesn't even want me here. I broke away from him.

"You're our friend, Silverfire. Nothing could ever change that." Tristan murmured softly. Silverfire sniffed a bit, accepting their hugs now.

Holly placed her hand on Silverfire's shoulder. "I know we've never seen eye-to-eye, but you'll always be a good friend in my book." Silverfire smiled a little more.

"T-Thank you." Silverfire whispered. "It's just that I've never had a...normal life where I could be myself."

"What kind of life did you have before this, then?" Holly asked, her voice filled with curiosity. Silverfire tilted his head.

"Well, I was the youngest out of all my siblings- half siblings included. But my half siblings never liked me, Stargaze or Hazel, so they bullied us a lot." Silverfire mused. "No one in our village really liked us either, but they were somewhat nice. They just really hated Stargaze for some reason."

"I can see why..." Violet murmured underneath her breath. She then realized that everyone had heard her. "Erm, sorry. Carry on."

"So it was a surprise when the last Great Sage picked Stargaze as his apprentice. After that, Stargaze didn't really want to have anything to do with me and our mom was dead, so Hazel had to take care of me when she was home." Silverfire sighed. Wait, his sister is named Hazel? Is Hazey his sister? I wonder if she's okay. I hope she is...

~~~

_"Hi, Hazey!" I greeted Hazel, who was sitting in her jail cell, looking bored out of her mind. Her eyes were glazed with pain and uneasiness. "Are you okay?"_

_Hazel sighed. "I'm fine, Prince Spiritmask. It's just...I hate being stuck in here."_

_"You don't have to call me by my full title, silly!" I giggled. Then I stopped and looked at her. Sitting down next to her, I laid my head on the bars between us. "I wish I could get you out of here...it's so unfair!"_

_"I know you do, Spiritmask." Hazel whispered, stroking my hair through the prison wall. "But this is probably what I deserve, anyways..." She looked up at the ceiling. "I just hope that my brothers are alright. I hope he's taking care of him..." She trailed off._

_"Aw, Hazey. Don't be sad. I'll help you get out of here, I promise!" I murmured to her, hoping that she was listening. She rolled her hazel eyes, within them a mixture of amusement and despair._

_Hazel weakly smiled at me. "Spiritmask, didn't your father tell you anything? They're planning to execute me in six days." Her eyes glimmered with sadness and happiness. "You know, it's given me enough time to think about my life so far."_

_"What? No, they can't!" I cried. "You're my only friend in the castle, Hazel!"_

_"I-I know, Spiritmask. But I've got no say in the matter." Hazel choked, her tears starting to well up in her eyes. "Spiritmask, whatever happens to me, I want you to know that you'll always be my best friend. A-And-"_

_"Gah, save me the sob stories!" We turned to see Delmar glowering us intently. His piercing black eyes made my nerves quiver for a little, but otherwise I wasn't that scared. Okay, maybe a little. "Spiritmask, father said that you're coming with me to Greenhorne whether you like it or not. He said that you can't be around her so much." Hazel returned his sharp glare, ending in him looking away from her. I don't blame him, really. Hazel's really scary when she's angry or annoyed._

_"B-But you're just going to visit your fiance! And Princess Sandee doesn't seem to like you that much, just saying..." I mumbled. Delmar walked over to me, seething. He slapped me across the face, growling at me. I fell down over nearby Hazel's jail cell._

_Delmar spat in my face. "Shut up, you little bastard! You're coming with me, whether you like it or not!" Why are you being so mean? Aren't we brothers? He took a step towards me._

_"Spiritmask!" Hazel gasped. She grabbed onto Delmar's leg and yanked it towards herself. "Leave him alone, you douchebag!" She snarled in his face. Delmar fell down with a small yelp, landing on his face. Once he fell down, I saw some keys in his pouch that'd fallen out. Are those...the prison keys? Before Delmar got up, I swiftly grabbed them and settled them into my small satchel bag that I always carry with me. He got up and walked towards the exit._

_"You have five minutes before we leave. If you don't come, then I'm giving you the beating of a lifetime." Delmar hissed before leaving. Slamming the door, he left me and Hazel behind. Hazel closed her eyes. Running over to a small window that I could reach, I opened it up fully and went back over to Hazel._

_"Why did you grab those keys?" Hazel murmured. "Stop sacrificing so much for my sake."_

_"I promised I'd get you out. I'm keeping that promise." I whispered while unlocking the door. Hazel got up and took a step out. "No one should be locked up like that."_

_"Thank you, Spiritmask." Hazel sobbed a little, making sure she was quiet. She took one step closer to me. Hazel brought her hand up to my face. She leaned forward and pecked me on the lips. Quickly she drew back and walked towards the small window I'd opened up. "I'll always be with you in spirit, my adorable pop star."_

~~~

**(Columbia POV)**

"Mmph...urgh, I feel so sick..." I moaned. Jayson, who'd just returned home was nursing me now. I feel bad for the guy. He's had to take care of me and Stargaze for a few days now.

Jayson sighed. "I know. What's baffling me is why you of all people are affected by this plague. It only affects people with Neksdor blood, meaning that I'll probably fall ill soon if Frost and Stargaze don't complete their task. Aren't you from Greenhorne?" I nodded.

"Yeah, but me and my sister Ivy are adopted. The mayor took us in around the age of four years old." I told him. "Our mother Whitney left us in Greenhorne, and she never came back. I'll never know why, though..." Jayson perked up at that.

"Whitney...? That name's familiar...of course! Describe her for me so I can remember." Jayson ordered me at once. He's being BOSSY. But whatever, he might know my mother.

"She had silver hair and silver eyes. Also had lots of freckles and really long eyelashes." I mused. "Don't ask how I remember all of that."

"I know her! She's my aunt. Was born here in Neksdor, but she left with some guy who was a neko- half human, half cat. If what you're saying is true, then..." Jayson explained.

"We're cousins!" We exclaimed at the same time. Me and Jayson being related? Now who would've thought of that?

I smiled weakly. "I can't believe it..." I rasped, right before breaking into a coughing fit. Jayson quickly rushed over to help me out. "Y-You know, you bringing up nekos made me think of Ivy- she has cat ears and a tail, but hides them in public."

"That's understandable. People would be questioning why Ivy has cat ears and a cat tail." Jayson murmured. "Anyways, do you need any more water?"

"Some more would be nice, please." Shutting my eyelids, I decided to take a power nap. My thoughts drifted to Ivy, Naomi and Mayor Stanford as sleep told a hold of me.

~~~

_"Naomi! Get back over here!" Ivy hissed. Naomi was running around the house, creating mass chaos per the norm. Naomi zoomed right past me, with Ivy right on her tail. "Columbia, why can't you help? You're her aunt!"_

_"And you're her mother. If you didn't want this, then you shouldn't've had her with Stone." I shot back snappily. Ivy narrowed her dark blue eyes and continued chasing Naomi. "Honestly, how did Ivy and Stone even happen?" I muttered to myself. Looking up, I saw my adoptive father glaring at me._

_"You know, you should at least put some effort into raising the kid. Bright Scar knows I am..." Stanford grumbled, rubbing his back. My guess is that Naomi tackled him again today, resulting in more back problems for him. "Naomi needs you to act like your her family."_

_I looked down at my feet. "I-I know, but...it's not like it'd really do anything." I sighed. Stanford patted my back._

_"But it would do something. She doesn't have a father figure, cause, well...we all know what happened to her father..." Stanford murmured. "You should try being more involved in her life. Remember your mother?"_

_Fighting back the tears welling up in my eyes, I nodded. "Yes, I do..." I sniffed._

_Stanford closed his eyes. "And she didn't really get involved in you and Ivy's lives, now did she?" Shaking my head, the tears began to roll down my cheeks. "Now, that certainly affected you both. Now think about how it affects Naomi because you're refusing to talk or look at her."_

_"I-I'll help out more with her, I promise, Dad." I whispered softly, so only he could hear. Stanford smiled at me. I promise I'll do more._

~~~

"Columbia! Get up!" I woke up to the sound of Jayson's voice. Man, he sounds irate. Angrily, I got up from the bed and trudged over to where Jayson was. My anger quickly turned to happiness and surprise once I saw who was standing in front of him.

"Stargaze! You're back!" I exclaimed in delight. Rushing over to him, I tackled Stargaze while also kissing him once I got close enough. "I missed you so much! Jayson was being a fusspot the entire time." Jayson rolled his eyes while Frost snickered a little.

"Shut up, you." Jayson growled at Frost.

Frost lightly elbowed Jayson. "Oh, come on! You've gotta admit it's true!" Jayson hit him on the head, getting Frost to shut up.

"Anyways, what happened? Why did that accursed disease come back?" Jayson demanded. He's being a fusspot right now, yet he doesn't even notice.

"You know the seal that Great Sage Rakim put on Brokenfire, the genie?" Frost whispered hollowly. "It's broken, and he's escaped from his prison already."


	14. Tower of Nightmares

**(Violet POV)**

"Violet, what's that?" Silverfire asked, pointing to something on the map.

Grumbling to myself, I sighed. "It's Nightmare Tower, Silverfire. That's where we're headed, remember?" Silverfire shook his head. "Do you remember Sandee and Felix getting their faces stolen?" Once again, Silverfire shook his head. "My goodness, you were serious when you said you were really airheaded."

Silverfire looked away. "I know. But it's not a bad thing, is it?" Gently stroking his hair, I smiled.

"You know what I think, Silverfire. It's not a bad thing." I reminded him. He smiled and looked back towards the path. I'm glad I managed to lift his spirits. He seemed really upset about it.

"Hey, that's the entrance over there." Tristan called out from the back. He rushed over towards me and Silverfire. "Maybe we should camp out here for tonight. We'll have to make a long run once we enter."

Holly tilted her head. "Why's that, Tristan? Couldn't we just camp while we're trekking in there?" Tristan shook his head.

"Nope. Not unless we want to be ambushed or killed in a few moments." Tristan bluntly grumbled. I thought that the both of them liked each other. So why's Tristan being a little snarky to Holly right now? "Anyways, if we make camp here then we'll be able to make it through Nightmare Tower without any difficulty."

"Now who said you were leader? We should be able to make it through without any difficulties with or without camping out." I hissed at him. Tristan didn't back down, though. I think he's serious about this camping nonsense. "Tristan, we are NOT, I repeat, NOT camping tonight. If you wanna camp, then camp on your own."

"Hate to break it to you Violet, but I don't think any of us are open to the idea." Tristan shot back. "It's already evening. Spiritmask is already dozing off, I doubt Silverfire is going to last that long, and Holly is-"

"Don't start speaking for me again, Tristan. I WILL smack you if you do that again." Holly grumbled aloud. Tristan rolled his eyes and continued glaring at me. I'm the leader, aren't I...? So why is he making all these decisions for us?

Tristan's green eyes glimmered with anger. "Point being, we're not going in right away. I'm going to set up camp." He snapped before taking the camping supplies I'd brought with us and setting it up. Holly just sighed and walked over to help him. Spiritmask was asleep on the ground, and Silverfire glanced at me apologetically. That doesn't help me at all. It's like they trust Tristan more than me...

They'd already finished setting up camp while I'd been sitting far away from them, but close enough so I wouldn't lose them. I can't believe Tristan undermined me like that again. Why can't they ever at least consider my ability to lead? There's no use dwelling on it. It's not going to do me any good.

"Alright, so who's going to watch guard?" Holly yawned. "Sure ain't gonna be me." Me neither.

"Well, since Violet's not going to budge, SHE'S keeping watch." Tristan growled. "End of discussion. 'Night." I could hear him walking into the tent, not caring whether I was really watching or not. Soon everyone else followed, leaving me all alone. I'm not watching them. I'm going to complete the mission by myself if I have to. Grabbing my daggers, I tiptoed into the tower, hoping none of them heard me walk out. If they want to camp out, let them. It's not my fault if they get attacked by monsters.

~~~

**(Silverfire POV)**

Tristan and Holly were curled up next to each other, Holly had lovingly wrapped her arms around Tristan. Spiritmask was lying on his stomach, his arm folded neatly underneath his chin. I was still up, my worry pestering me from slumber. Is Violet okay? Maybe I should check on her. Swiftly making my way out of the tent, I crawled out into the open. Glancing around the clearing I expected to see Violet.

"Violet...?" I softly called out to her. No response. "V-Violet? Are you out there?" Still no response. Taking one more look around the clearing, I couldn't find her anywhere. Violet's gone... Quickly turning back to the tent, I rushed inside. Shaking Tristan wildly, he opened his eyes with a grunt.

"What do you you want, Silverfire? It's too late for any of your nonsense." Tristan grumbled. Holly noticed Tristan moving a little bit, so she gently kissed him on the cheek. "Not now, Holly." He mumbled. Holly's eyes gleamed with dejection, but she simply nodded and said nothing. "What is it?"

"Violet isn't standing guard. She's gone!" I yelped. Tristan rolled his eyes, laughing a little.

Tristan chuckled. "I'm sure she's still out there feeling sorry for herself. Go back to sleep." Poking my head out of the tent, I checked one last time. She isn't out there. I looked back at Tristan one last time. Holly was still snuggling with him and Spiritmask was out. Tristan was already back asleep. Looks like I'm doing another rescue mission...but alone. Quickly grabbing for the map, I flipped it over and wrote on it. It's time to save Violet. Again.

~~~

Soon I was in the tower, on the second floor. I think. I still haven't ran into Violet, so I'm guessing she must be ahead. My feet were already sore, and it would seem very nice to just turn back. But Violet's still out there. I can't leave her here alone.

"AIIIIEEEEEEEE!!!!" A bloodcurdling scream echoed throughout the halls. It was Violet. Rushing towards the sound of her voice, I stopped running to see Violet laying on the floor, her clothes stained with blood. I ran over to her, crouching down so I could pick her up in my arms.

"V-Violet...? What happened to you...?" I whispered numbly. Violet's eyes were shut as if she was in pain, shivering wildly. Gently stroking her black hair, I could hear her mumbling something underneath her breath.

"L-Leave her alone..." Violet murmured in her sleep. "P-Please, Aspen..." Who's Aspen? She wouldn't be talking about something this sensitive if she was awake, would she? Probably not. Groans and wails echoed from the hallways before us. Holding onto Violet as tightly as I could, I bolted the way I'd came. Soon we were out of the tower, with me panting heavily and Violet still muttering in her sleep. I noticed Tristan, Holly and Spiritmask already up. Tristan glared at me.

"Where were you?!" Tristan yelled, his green eyes shimmering with anger. "We were supposed to- wait." He turned his gaze to Violet, who was still shivering. Tristan walked closer to us. "Is she okay?" From the background, I could see Holly enviously glaring at Tristan and Violet. Was she alright?

"I don't know. I found her like this on the second floor of the tower." I shakily whispered. Tristan stroked Violet's hair, sympathy brimming in his eyes.

Tristan sighed. "I've seen this before. She's...well..." He tried to look for the words to explain it. Is it really that hard to explain? "In a way, cursed." Violet's...cursed...? How? "A nightmare inducing spell must've been cast on her."

"And how would you know that?" Holly grumbled. Wow, I think she's going to be in a bad mood all day. "It's not like you actually know how to cast those spells." Tristan winced a little.

"Well, n-no I don't. B-But I've seen it enough to know what it is." Tristan murmured. The way he said it, it's like he's lying. Are you lying to us, Tristan? "We need to defeat the whichever monster cast that spell- and quick. If it's not lifted soon then there's a chance that she could die." Violet could...die? No. It won't happen, right? "Someone needs to stay here and watch her while we find the monster."

"And maybe that monster has Sandee or Felix's face attached to it! You may be a grouch Tristan, but you come up with great plans!" Holly exclaimed, seeming to catch on. "Either way, that thing is pretty powerful if it's nightmare curses can kill you, so you'll need me cause duh, I'm a cleric."

"I-I'll stay behind." I squeaked. Everyone turned to look at me. "You won't need me in this battle. I'm not that good at magic, anyways." Spiritmask was about to respond, but I cut him off. "I'll probably wander off at some point as well." Tristan crossed his arms and closed his eyes.

He chuckled. "Well, you always pay attention when it comes to Violet, so of course you'd be the one offering." Tristan's eyes gleamed in a teasing and humorous matter, as if he was trying to ignore something bothering him greatly. "Alright, me, Holly and Spiritmask will go track the monster down. Once we finish it off and Violet's better, both you and Violet can come for us inside." Holly smiled at him dreamily.

"You're REALLY good at making plans and putting them into action! It almost makes me forget how laid-back you are, Tristan~" Holly purred. She gently kissed him on the cheek, while Tristan reluctantly accepted the kiss. Just what is up with those two? Holly turned towards me. "There's some grub in Violet's backpack if you get hungry, and I doubt any monsters will be coming near Nightmare Tower tonight. So you should be fine." Spiritmask was stroking Violet's hair while she was still in my arms.

"Ooooh! Her hair's SO soft!" Spiritmask gasped in awe. "And pretty, too!" A prick of annoyance stabbed at my chest. Can't he just leave already? Holly practically dragged Spiritmask away from me. Thank you, Holly.

Holly snickered a little. "Come on, Spiritmask. You're making somebody over here jealous." Jealous? Of what? "See ya later, Silverfire. Take good care of Violet." Holly was holding Spiritmask by the hand. Tristan lightly chuckled.

"He'll do fine. It's him watching Violet, after all." Tristan laughed before signalling for the others to follow him. "Come on, let's go find that monster before it's too late." Soon they walked into the tower, leaving me with Violet. Glancing around, I could see that they'd left the tent up. Perfect, because I'm not in the mood to build anything. I gingerly settled into the tent, setting Violet on the ground on the inside. Hopefully she'll be alright.

"T-Twyla..." Violet murmured shakily. Wait, is she talking about her twin sister Twyla? She's told me a little about Twyla, for the most part. Violet drops the subject as quick as she can, though. I gently stroked her hair.

"Don't worry, Violet. You'll be alright as long as I'm around." I whispered trying to comfort her. She then slightly shifted closer to me, surprising me a little bit. Violet won't die on my watch.

~~~

**(Holly POV)**

Tristan was walking ahead of both me and Spiritmask, barking orders. Why's he gotta be so bossy all of a sudden? He was telling us how careful we had to be since we were already on the second floor. Seriously. This tower is not as big as people make it out to be. Spiritmask was quiet for the most part, only saying something when me or Tristan asked him a question. Is he alright?

"Alright, so-" Tristan began. Okay, he needs to shut up. I can only listen to his voice for a few hours.

"SSSSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" I hissed at him. He turned sharply to glare at me. "Shut up! You're going on about how we need to be careful, so listen to yourself!"

"It's not like you are! Sometimes you need to be reminded of some of the simplest things!" Tristan shot back. Oh, it is ON. Slapping Tristan in the face, he took a few paces back, shocked. "What the hell was that for?"

"Duh, idiot! Isn't this the tenth time you've been smacked?" I growled. Tristan glowered me indignantly.

"THREE." Tristan snapped.

Rolling my eyes, I smacked him again. "Now it's four. So can you please shut up for five- wait." Stopping suddenly, I looked around myself to see if Spiritmask was still here. He was gone. "Where's Spiritmask?"

"Dunno, don't care. Let's keep searching." Tristan shrugged his shoulders. How could he be so heartless? "Holly, aren't you listening to me?"

"He's FOURTEEN!!! He could be anywhere in here getting viciously mauled by some monster for all you care! When did you become such a jerk?" I spat in his face. He slowly blinked, his eyes glazed with pain. "Well?"

Tristan slowly trudged away from me, now dragging his sword along the ground. "Holly, I've done so many wrongs in my life that it's hard to keep track. I'm sorry." He muttered. "I just wanna get this over with already. So I can spare the agony." What is he talking about?

"What are you even talking about?! You're making no sense!" I snapped back. Tristan didn't look back at me. "Tristan, answer me!"

"You'll understand soon. But you'll hate me for it." Tristan sighed. He cast one last glance at me, his eyes glittering with sorrow. "If you want, go look for Prince Spiritmask. I'm not stopping you. I just wish that the four of us had more time..." Muttering to myself, I turned away from him, now searching for Spiritmask. What's up with Tristan?

~~~

**(Columbia POV)**

"Jayson!" I snapped grumpily. "I'm thirsty!" Me and Stargaze are still in Neksdor Town, waiting for my sickness to pass. Frost said that us waiting it out would probably be the best, but Jayson isn't to sure. And by that I mean he's sick of us in his house. "JAYSON!"

"Columbia, shut up for a few seconds. Ask Frost to get you some water." Jayson grumbled aloud, his eyes shimmering with annoyance. "And for the love of Bright Scar- shut up and stay quiet." Hmph. I don't Frost to get me any water because there's a higher chance it'll be poisonous. I looked over to Stargaze, who was fast asleep by my side on the makeshift bed.

"Stargaze, are you up?" I whispered, nudging his shoulder with my hand. He barely stirred, instead nuzzling my shoulder with his cheek. As cute as that is, I'm not giving up on waking him up. He'll grumpy when he gets up anyways. "Stargaze, get up..." Still no response. Man, he must've been tired. Quickly I decided not to wake him, since kinda deserves that rest. He just trekked to who knows where with Frost just to find out what was happening to me. I honestly don't deserve him. Suddenly something dropped on the floor. Looking down at the floor, I saw Jayson picking up his frying pan. "What are you doing?" I rasped.

Jayson grinned to himself. "Getting childhood revenge." He snickered, his light blue eyes glimmering with a mixture of happiness and anger. Jayson padded out of the room, but before leaving he called, "Don't leave the house while I'm gone!" After that there was pretty much silence, besides Stargaze snoring and Frost reading a book, muttering to himself.

"Um...Frost? Do you really think it's a good idea to let Jayson get his 'childhood revenge'?" I cautiously asked, hoping Frost wouldn't snap at me.

Frost shrugged his shoulders. "Jayson won't KILL him, but he'll give Bryce a couple of scars to remember him by. Bryce deserves it. He's been torturing Jayson and his friend Holly since they were little." Frost sighed, a disgruntled harmony in his voice. "With Holly, everyone can see why. But Jayson didn't deserve to go through that at all! Bright Scar knows why he decided to become friends with that monstrous offspring of Brokenfire."

"Who...who was Brokenfire?" I mumbled, confused. Frost closed his eyes.

"Brokenfire is an ancient spirit of Neksdor who torments the people of this land. He's been torturing us for as long as twenty-five years. But then the last Great Sage Rakim sealed him away, and now he's breaking free. That's why I needed Stargaze to help me seal him away. But Rakim never taught him how to keep the seal intact." Frost explained. This is...a lot to take in. I'm probably going to forget, anyways. "So Brokenfire's breaking free, and we're all going to die for 'betraying' him, because he forced us all to make him our king. Life's great at the moment."

"I had no idea that you people had to suffer like this for this long. I wasn't even born yet." I whispered, in both shock and awe at how strong these people were to overcome this dangerous foe. "I understand the whole reason why you hate Brokenfire, but why Holly? She has nothing to do with him."

Frost shook his head. "She's his daughter, has his blood and carries the same powers he does. Holly's too dangerous." That's just bigotry. "Who knew what she could do with that kind of power? Everyone grew more worried about how much time Brokenfire began spending with his daughter. And that was when she was somewhere around the age of 15, also when she was after Jayson's heart." Someone actually had a crush on Jayson? That is unbelievable.

I sighed. "But that still wasn't valid enough to hate her like that. She can't help where she comes from." Frost scowled at me before going back to reading. Glancing back in Stargaze's direction, I gently rustled his hair. No one would believe I love him either, would they? Stargaze softly groaned, lightly pushing away my hand.

"Columbia, you're already up?" He yawned, opening his mouth to exhale. "I thought you'd still be asleep." Stargaze glanced over in Frost's direction, now fully awake. "Where's Jayson?"

"Gone out to get his childhood revenge." Frost chuckled. How is that funny?! "He'll be back soon. I hope, because I've got a date tonight that I can't cancel. Otherwise Stargaze's in charge."

"Hee hee, I don't mind at all~" Stargaze purred, then proceeding to kiss my cheek. I playfully shoved him away from me and kissed him back. Stargaze blushed profusely once I backed away, now covering up his face. How can this man be so adorable and stubborn at the same time?

"Okay, you lovebirds. Stop messing around." Frost sighed. We stopped and looked at him. Well, I mean Stargaze can't see him, but... "I've gotta get ready now. He won't wait forever." Frost walked out of the room and headed somewhere else in the tiny house.

Stargaze raised an eyebrow. "Huh. Well you learn something new each day." He nuzzled my cheek some more. "Not related to us, though. What should we do then?"

"I don't care what you do, just keep it PG!" Frost hissed. What does that mean? Stargaze rolled his sightless eyes and kissed me on the cheek again. "I'm glad me and Sam don't act like that." He muttered to himself.

"Who's Sam?" I asked. Frost walked back into the room, now wearing a black tuxedo.

"Sam is my boyfriend. Nothing more to it than that." Frost shrugged his shoulders. "Jayson's very well aware of it, too." He walked out of the house, leaving me and Stargaze behind. Stargaze gently bit on my ear. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

"I wanna mess with you for bit, Columbia." Stargaze silkily purred. I gently stroked his hair. He sat back, chuckling to himself.

Smiling, I was still petting his hair. "Oh, you always do."

~~~

**(Tristan POV)**

"Well Tristan, you finally arrived." A voice hissed. Sighing to myself, I placed my sword back in its scabbard. "Answer me. I can see you, you know."

"Mapleshade, why? What was the point in stealing Felix and Sandee's faces? If you're trying to kill Violet, that's not the easy way out." I growled. Mapleshade was now before me, holding both Sandee and Felix's faces. "You didn't even put them on anything yet!"

Mapleshade scowled. "Well at least I stick to one side of the story. Let's not forget that little fact, Tristan." I gulped. It was true. I AM a traitor to Violet, Holly and Silverfire. A liar. "You're lucky I didn't kill you when I had the chance."

"You wouldn't." I spat, barely choking out the words.

"Just because me and your mother are cursed, it doesn't mean that I wouldn't kill you!" Mapleshade snapped. I winced. My mother wouldn't do that. She wouldn't allow it. She's still in there, I just know it. Falling to the floor, I sat on my knees, my head facing the ground. "But I guess you've proven somewhat useful. You still didn't complete your task, did you?" Shaking my head, tears fell down my cheeks and splattered onto the floor. "Pathetic worm. You were supposed to kill Violet, not make friends with her!" Mapleshade sighed, turning away from me. "Tell me Tristan- which side are you really on? Perhaps Shadowseeker was right about you. Maybe you betrayed us after all."

"I'm on your side still, Mapleshade." I choked the words out. Mapleshade raised an eyebrow. "I only joined them so that way we could get inside information." The lie almost got caught in my throat. I'm so sorry Violet, Holly, Silverfire...

"Very good. At least you still have your uses." Mapleshade grumbled, a hint of approval in his voice. "Because of this, I will send these faces back to their owners. And once Shadowseeker takes you back to the castle, you will tell me and Shadowseeker everything." A hint of dismay pricked my chest. That castle sucks. I'm not even allowed to do anything there. "Your 'friends' Holly and Silverfire will be coming with. Violet is...a different case." Oh. Right. Because she's the Chosen One, so we have to make sure she suffers both mentally and physically. That's messed up, if anything. "Don't screw up the plan, Tristan." Mapleshade took off with Felix and Sandee's faces, leaving the tower behind. That was so lucky. Mapleshade would've had my guts for garters if I'd said otherwise. Violet, I'm so sorry...you'll never forgive me for this, I'm sure. I only hope that Bright Scar calls you new companions that'll be better than the ugly mess I am.

"Tristan! Tristan!" I overheard Spiritmask's voice from behind me. Turning around, I saw Holly with him. "We defeated the monster! Now we just have to save-"

"Taken care of. Don't ask how." I sighed. Holly glared at me for a split second, but didn't both asking. If she hates me now, then how'll she react to finding out that I'm a liar? To loving her back and fighting to save Miitopia.

Holly looked away from me. "Let's just go back to the others." For once, I agree with her. I don't think I'll be able to cope with the hatred brimming inside of me for much longer. It won't be long before they'll discover my betrayal.

~~~

**(Violet POV; Skip to Arid Frontier)**

"Alright, will you be okay traveling by yourself for a while?" I asked Spiritmask, who was screaming into his microphone for some reason that I can't comprehend. He looked up at me and nodded, a grim expression on his face. Oh, I see why he's screaming into his microphone. Delmar. I would too if I was him.

"Well, we're past the border, like that guy said." Silverfire yawned. "Man, I can't wait to hit the hay...I'm tired! I hope there's an inn up ahead." Holly glanced at Silverfire.

"There is an inn ahead. Don't forget that I am from here, after all. Trekking through here will be a breeze with me around." Holly proudly exclaimed, while being greeted with a glare from Tristan. Holly returned his glare with equal if not more hate. Just what is up with them? Aren't they dating?

I glared at Tristan. "You stop giving death stares. And you too, Holly." Tristan and Holly just ignored me and continued glaring at each other. "What is wrong with you both? If you've got something to say, just say it."

Holly sharply glanced at me. "Violet, don't." She looked back at Tristan. "Although, she's right. Tristan, we're breaking up. I can't do this stupidity anymore. Learn how to treat people with respect."

"Not like this hurts me, you know. It's not like my respect is instantly given if I become friends or enter a relationship with whoever. They earn it." Tristan snapped. With a pang of sadness, I realized at once that Tristan never even liked Holly back. He...still likes me in that way, doesn't he?

"Oh, so who's earned your respect? The Dark Lord?" Holly sneered. Holly, shut up. Please. Don't piss him off even more than you have to. "It's likely, especially since you came back from Nightmare Tower."

Tristan hissed in her face. "SHUT UP!" He snarled. He immediately began walking faster towards the inn. "It's not like you're the only one with issues, Holly!" He called over his shoulder. Are we going to break apart just before we officially start traveling in Neksdor? Where we were going to start anew? Oh Bright Scar, how do we keep walking in circles? Holly shot another glare at me before walking on ahead as well, but a considerable length behind Tristan. Silverfire sympathetically murmured and gave me a hug. At this point I feel like crying and giving up. But I'm the Chosen One, so I HAVE to save the freaking world that's messed up enough as it is.

"Come on, Violet. It'll be alright." He whispered. I sniffed, returning his hug. My tears ran down my cheeks and a few landed on his robes. "We'll be alright. I know it." How does he think so positive? I sure can't. Silverfire turned his head to face Spiritmask. "It might be best if you leave now." Spiritmask nodded, waving goodbye to me and Silverfire. I might actually miss him. Wow, was not expecting that feeling. "We're almost at the inn, and I'm sure Holly and Tristan are going to be sleeping in a room by themselves, so are we sleeping together tonight?"

"Yeah, that'd be the best for now. Hopefully things will get better for them in the meanwhile. Even if they get on my nerves, they're still people." I sighed. Silverfire tilted his head in confusion. "We want them to feel-y good, Silverfire."

"Oh. Okay." Silverfire nodded in understanding. I have no idea how he didn't understand that, but whatever.

Soon we were at the inn's doors, ready to enter. We hadn't said anything after that, really. Then we just asked for a room and went to the room. That's pretty much it. I don't want to bore you with the details. Silverfire had his wand in his hands while he was sitting in his bed, while I was sharpening my daggers.

"You okay over there? You've been quiet the entire time."

Silverfire sighed. "Just thinking about Stargaze, that's all. It's strange, but I get the feeling that he's close to us. Like, closer than before. Maybe he's in Neksdor?"

"Well, I'm not sure. But he probably is, since he's been uh...looking for you with this woman called Columbia." I mumbled. Silverfire muttered something to himself. "Hey, you didn't ask me for any information. So don't blame me. I'm sure they're okay. If anything, they might be better than okay."

"Well, if you say so..." Silverfire sighed. "It's just that I feel like I'm not going to see him in a LONG time. Hopefully that isn't the case, because I honestly kind of miss him."

"It's alright, dude. You'll see him eventually, I'm sure." I reassured him. Letting out a loud yawn, I set my daggers on my nightstand and covered myself up in the blankets. "I hope you plan on sleeping, Silverfire. You'll need it for tomorrow. Goodnight." Without waiting for his reply, my body instantly lulled me to sleep, not caring if I was done or not.

~~~

Stretching my arms, I let out a yawn. Almost instinctively, I glanced over to the other side of the room, expecting to see Silverfire. He was...gone. I rushed over to his bed. There were signs of him being there, sure. But he was gone. My daggers on my nightstand were gone. Looking down at my clothes, I realized that I wasn't wearing my thief's gear. I was wearing my normal purple shirt and pants.

"Bright Scar, I demand answers!" I hissed into the amulet, which was surprisingly still with me. "Bright Scar!"

Bright Scar grumbled to herself. "Fine, but you won't like them. The Dark Lord- well, I shouldn't exactly say THAT. His advisor, I think that's what he is, Shadowseeker stole them away. And he sealed your powers as well. So you've got no choice but to pick a new one and save even more people."

"Wow. That's just- wow." I hissed to myself. "If I wasn't such a kind and gentle person, I'd love to flip him off right now." Bright Scar stifled a chuckle. "You shut up. You know what I mean. Does this mean I've got to pick another scroll?"

"Unfortunately, yes. I added three new jobs so you don't complain too much." Bright Scar grumbled aloud right before I was sent back into that weird room of hers. I bet they're not even that good. "Trust me, you'll love one of the new ones a LOT."

"What're you- HOLY YOU A CAT SCROLL. GIVE IT TO ME." Bright Scar rolled her eye and gave me the scroll.

Bright Scar raised her eyebrow. "You didn't even look at the others, are you positive-"

"YES, JUST MAKE ME CAT ALREADY." I snapped, my attention still focused on the Cat scroll. Soon Bright Scar just sighed and a bright light enveloped me. Soon I had purple cat ears spouting out of my head with a tail spouting out of my butt. There were claws on my hands, which I'm guessing are like gloves. There were whiskers on my face, and as much as they annoyed me, I didn't bother with them. Cause who cares, I'm a Cat.

"Now go forth, Violet the Cat! And let me tell you, your new companions in this might surprise you..." Bright Scar murmured. Surprise me? How? The only surprise would be if they were kidnapped too. And then it'd be more on me to save them. "Now leave my room- I need to meditate." With another flash, I was back in the room, with my new job. Grabbing my satchel, I slung it over my shoulders and walked out of the room. I've gotta save them. If I don't, then who will? And who'll my companions even be? Pushing the questions down, I returned the room keys to the staff, who questionably took them. Walking out of the inn, I sighed. Time to travel. Alone.

~~~

**(Mystery POV)**

"Why Violet, why'd you have to run away from Tschilly Village? Now I'm stuck here in the living oven looking for you, and Helen and Daniel are probably worried sick!" I grumbled to myself. It was no use, since no one else was there. "And to top off all of this crap, I get turned into...whatever THIS is and now I'm stuck like this for eternity! Violet, I swear once I find you I will-" After that I pretty much ranted for about half an hour. Pathetic, I know.

What exactly was I turned into? Well, I now have wings sprouting from my back with a pointed tail latched onto my bottom, and horns protruding from my head. This sucks, I hate it and it sucks. A lot. What's the point of wings if I'm not flying? I mean, I tried but I flew face first into a cacti patch. And I'm not going through that again.

"Violet, you'd better have a good excuse for this." I looked around to find a shelter that had seen better days. That's good enough for now. I rushed into the small shelter to sigh in relief now that I was in the shade. "Ha! Take that, sun!" Curling up in a ball, I felt drowsy. Now I could take a break and sleep. My wings must've known what I was doing, because they folded on my back neatly. I could feel my tail wrapping around one of my legs, which actually felt quite nice. Closing my eyes, I drifted off into a dream. When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a strange black clearing.

"Hello, young one." A voice welcomed me. I turned to see a midnight colored dragon behind me, with a man wearing some armor standing beside him. He had light brown hair that curved into a spike on the right. The guy had green eyes and pale skin, and then I also noticed he had freckles.

"Who are you? What do you want? How did you get here?" I demanded faster than a lightning bolt. The dragon narrowed its eyes, while the man blushed as I stared at him. Hmm. I guess he sees something he likes.

"I am Shadowseeker and this is Tristan." The dragon introduced themselves. Tristan weakly waved at me, his face a bright red. "We are talking to you through a dream right now. I heard you're having trouble with your recent transformation."

"Yeah, it sucks!" I pouted. My tail was lashing in anger. What sucks is that I can't control it that well.

Shadowseeker nodded. "Well, you are an Imp now. You have the power to bend dark magic to your will, something even the Great Sage can't do." Oh, that does sound rather nice. "I can teach you how to use it, how to use your wings, and much more. What do you say?"

"Um...well, since I want to be able to survive and not fly into another cacti patch...I accept!"

"Good. First, tell me your name." Shadowseeker nodded, a small hint of laughter in his voice.

I gulped. "My name is Twyla."


	15. Reunion!

**(Violet POV)**

"It sure is lonely traveling alone..." I whispered to myself. Bright Scar told me I'd be getting my first companion for Neksdor soon, but it's not soon enough. "I'm going to die in this heat!" Keeping my pace, I padded towards a tall cactus. "It's some shade, at least." I curled up in the shade, wrapping my tail around my waist. At least I'll get some peace and quiet. And maybe a nap. Closing my eyes, I allowed myself to doze off just a little bit.

~~~

_"Twyla, stop it!" I protested. "You're not funny!" Twyla had put our dad's top hat on my head when I wasn't looking, and now she's holding it down on my head. That top hat is UGLY, and I hate it. Twyla is very well aware of it, too. "TWYLA!" She rolled her light green eyes and took it off. "Thank you!"_

_Twyla snickered. "You're so sensitive, Vivi!" While that may be true, I don't act THAT sensitive. "I really wish you were more outspoken, but whatever." Holding back a bitter retort, I lightly pushed her away, knocking her down a little. "Come on, you've gotta admit that it's true!" I wish that I was more extroverted like Twyla, but I just can't...people aren't always the nicest of creatures._

_"Let's just go outside." I grumbled, already walking towards the exit. Twyla immediately rushed towards me and knocked me over, making us both trip on the ground. "OUCH!!" I whipped my head towards Twyla. "TWYLA, I'M GOING TO KILL YOU." Twyla sheepishly laughed and got off of me. Once I got up, I stared her down. "You have TWO seconds-" Twyla immediately got the hint and ran off. However, I'm not letting her get away this time. Sprinting as hard as I could, I chased after my sister, who had now hidden herself somewhere in the house. "Dammit Twyla!"_

_"What's all this commotion about? Violet and Twyla, you'd better not be wrecking the place again!" My older sister Helen yelled from across the house. "Dad won't be happy if he sees." Sighing to myself, I got up and glanced at Twyla for a split second. She was sticking her tongue out at me, which undoubtedly enraged me and caused me to tackled her to the ground. "VIOLET!"_

_"Oof!" Twyla groaned. "You know, you could have better landing!" She teased, still grunting a little. With a couple more groans, we got up and faced our older sister, Helen, who was glaring intently at us. "S-Sorry, Helen. We got carried away..."_

_"Of course you did. Did either of you do your homework?" Helen sighed, slapping her forehead. "Please tell me you did-"_

_"I sure didn't." Twyla bluntly replied. She ran over in the direction of her room to get started on it, I guessed. Helen glanced at me, hoping that I'd at least done my homework. I nodded, which seemed to please Helen for a little while. Turning around, I could hear footsteps coming from behind us. It was our father, Harold. He had black hair like me, and had light green eyes. He glared at me._

_"Violet, come here now." He demanded. I walked over to him, looking down at my feet. I know what this is about. "Why can't you be a normal child?" He growled in my face. "Tell me. Why are you so messed up than the others?"_

_Helen didn't bother sticking up for me. Instead, she glared at me which gave me the impression that I should say something. "Erm...I-I don't know, Dad..." I mumbled. He narrowed his eyes._

_"Because you aren't normal, you mental freak! I can't believe that my once perfect family was ruined because of you! At least Twyla's normal!" He yelled. Tears fell down my cheeks. Why is it that just because I'm different, he acts like I'm a curse? "For goodness sakes Violet, you were born with that stupid disorder, and now I find out that you can't even try to like the opposite sex more than your own?! You should be dead." He hates me. He hates the fact that I don't think right and because I'm bisexual. I shouldn't be here. I should be dead. "You're so lucky that Penny is around and expecting your little brother, otherwise I would've disowned you by now! And stop sniveling!"_

_"Okay Dad." I whispered hollowly. He then smacked me upside my face, making me fall backwards. Not bothering to get back up, I closed my eyes. He'll do it again. And again. And AGAIN. What was the point of fighting back when I couldn't? I'll always be the broken, disgusting child I am..._

~~~

**(Twyla POV)**

Positioning myself properly, I sat on top of the cactus. Recently Shadowseeker had taught me how to fly (to an extent) and now I was practicing taking off in the real world. Carefully, I unfolded my wings which had quite the large wingspan. Shadowseeker had told me that my wings were unnaturally large for an Imp, so he decided to teach me instead of having another Imp teach me how to fly. That was good, actually because he didn't waste any time with me. Though honestly, my body still feels sore from training last night...ow. I attempted to push myself into the air, hoping to fly. Instead I fell straight onto the ground, landing on something. No wait, someone.

"MRRAAOOOW!" The person yelped. Immediately I got up and backed away. This person's going to kill me, aren't they? Once they got up, I was able to get a better look at who they were. The person I'd fell on top of was a female with purple cat ears and tail sprouting out of the appropriate areas, whiskers on her cheeks and was wearing a purple catsuit. Purple obsession much? She had long, straight black hair and gleaming amber eyes. W-Wait a minute, is that- "Who the hell are you?!" She snapped. Yep, that's the cranky Violet I know and love. Even though she's a cat, but I mean, I'm an Imp now so who's to blame?

"V-Violet...?" I squeaked, which seemed to surprise her. "Is that you?" Recognition flashed through her eyes.

"T-Twyla...? Y-You...came looking for me?" Violet mumbled. Smiling, I nodded. She immediately hugged me, and I could feel tears falling on my wings. Violet's really missed me, hasn't she? "I've missed you so much!" She wailed, sobbing uncontrollably. Me too! Cause it's been FIVE YEARS. After a few more seconds, she released me and smiled. "I'm so happy I got to meet you during this quest. The past few days have been hell, lemme tell you..."

"What happened?" I asked, tilting my head. Quest? What's she talking about? Last I heard, she hadn't been called upon Bright Scar herself to save the world. Dad told me that she'd murdered someone in the village who VERY CLEARLY wasn't murdered by anyone, but still managed to run her out. Our Dad is honestly a jerk. Violet sighed.

"Well, I witnessed a LOT, so you'd better be paying attention. First off, the world is being tortured by the Dark Lord Mapleshade, who loves to steal faces for some reason. Second off, I got this necklace-"

"CHARM." A voice resonated from the charm that was worn around Violet's neck. "Get it straight, idiot." Violet glared at it.

"Shut up, Bright Scar! I'm not in the mood for you right now!" Violet spat. Wait wait wait, she's talking to BRIGHT SCAR?! Isn't Bright Scar one of the overseers of this world? How's Violet talking to Bright Scar, for goodness sake?! "I can explain. Bright Scar is able to talk through this CHARM," Violet placed extra emphasis on the word charm as if she was mocking Bright Scar. "And give me advice. Not like I need it."

"Oh please! Tristan, Holly and Silverfire were taken by the Dark Lord! If you need advice, it's now more than ever!" Bright Scar snapped at her. Wait, Tristan? Isn't that the guy who came with Shadowseeker that night? He's traveled with Violet? I'll have to ask more about him, since he seems too shaken up to talk to me at all. I don't know who Holly and Silverfire are, though. That I might have to ask Tristan and Violet about, I'm guessing.

Violet sighed, which almost sounded like a whimper. "I miss them. Even if we usually fought, they were almost like...real family." She looked back up at me. "I'll give you some background. Tristan, he was very hot-headed but very lazy. VERY. He's also a warrior as well, but the way he did his job it's like he just learned how." He kind of sounds like my type of man, actually. Would I have any chance of ending up with him...? I resisted the extremely strong urge to lick my lips after some...'thoughts' entered my mind. Argh, why am I even thinking like that? Is it another part of being an Imp? Because if it is, then I want to be a human again PLEASE. "Umm...are you okay, Twyla?" Violet asked, thankfully breaking my train of thought.

"She's fine, Violet. It's just the fact that Twyla is now an Imp, that's all." Bright Scar mewed.

Violet raised an eyebrow. "What's an Imp?"

"If you'd looked at the other two scrolls before picking the cat one, you'd know!" Bright Scar scolded her. Okay, their bickering is actually pretty funny. It'd make a great comedy act. "An Imp is basically a slu-"

"Call Twyla that, and we will have serious problems, Bright Scar." Violet grumbled. "I think we all got what you meant by that."

Bright Scar sighed. "Oh, alright. I won't be bluntly honest. Imps are often very...what word can I use without offending you, your highness? They're often very romantically inclined and loves, um...'pleasure', let's just leave it at that. Is that better?"

"Yes, but you could improve."

"Whatever. Anyways, she's an Imp now. Twyla will have to learn how to cope with it because I didn't change her into one, someone else must've." Bright Scar muttered. "And because I didn't do it, I can't change her back." What?! I can't be a human ever again? Is that basically what she's saying. "Oh, I almost forgot- meet your new teammate, Violet. Cheerio." Wait, I'M her new teammate? That's both cool and...scary. Just what happened to her other teammates anyways?

~~~

**(Holly POV)**

"Stay put." A monster grumbled. "Otherwise I'll just kill you myself." With a sigh, I stayed down on the ground of the jail cell they'd put me in. "Now that's a good girl. Shadowseeker should be here shortly with...someone you know very well." Who, Silverfire? I haven't seen him since before we got kidnapped. Wouldn't he be in a cell too? Or Tristan? He's...no. I-I can't...I just broke up with him, I cannot deal with him right now. Footsteps could be heard as time went on. Was that Shadowseeker? Soon I could make out who it was. It was Tristan.

"T-Tristan. What are you doing?" I rasped. He sighed, on the verge of tears.

"I'm so sorry it had to end like this, Holly." Tristan whispered. End like how? If he's talking about our relationship, then that was a while ago. I'm still angry that he lied to me. "No, I'm not talking about our relationship. I'm talking about...what you'll want to do with me. I'm a liar. A traitor. I've been working with Mapleshade behind your backs ever since I joined Violet. I'm sorry..."

"YOU LIAR!! VIOLET TRUSTED YOU, AND YOU JUST THREW IT AWAY?!" I snarled, clenching my fists. "I'D OUTTA SNAP YOU IN TWO RIGHT NOW!" This man thought that working with Mapleshade, the f*cking Dark Lord, was a better choice than fighting beside Violet? We were actually winning!

"Yeah, I'm expecting to get the same reaction from Silverfire..." Tristan murmured. "You know, I do feel regret for it. I was supposed to murder Violet from the start. But life seemed to take me in the direction to travel with her and eventually fall in love with Violet. I had no choice but to do this, Holly. It's not like I have my own free will here."

I growled at him. "Doesn't mean I forgive you. For lying to me and the whole team. You were infatuated with Violet the entire time we were together, weren't you?" He didn't say a word. "That's what I thought. Next time, think before you lie to me to my face."

"I understand. I don't forgive myself, either..." Tristan mumbled. "I still care for you, Holly. Just not in that way. I'm trying to get them to treat you guys better than the other prisoners. Please Holly. I'm trying." He lost his trust from me.

"Just go away. I hate you." I hissed at him. Tristan sighed, tears falling down his cheeks. He walked out of the area, leaving me behind.

"Is the test subject ready?" A raspy voice hissed. "Good. Let's see if the vampire serum works." Oh Bright Scar, I hope Silverfire's alright at least...

~~~

**(Violet POV)**

"WEEE!!!! This is going to be SO MUCH FUN!!!!" Twyla exclaimed. She is a lot more energetic than I thought. "And I'll finally be able to get to know you, Vivi! YAAAY!!!!" Ugh, I hate being called that. But for Twyla's sake, I'll let it slide. I'm more concerned about getting to an inn. It's blazing out here, and I hate it. Powdered Peaks is better compared to this, because you can actually fix the cold. Heat on the other hand is no. "Huh? What's wrong, Violet?"

"It's just...I miss my old team. I miss Tristan, Holly and Silverfire most of all..." I sighed. Twyla raised an eyebrow, her light green eyes gleaming with amusement. "What's funny?"

"Do you have a crush on this Silverfire guy?" Twyla bluntly asked, putting her arms behind her head. N-No! Well, m-maybe I used to, but not at the moment! Besides, there's no way me and him could happen. "Ha! I could tell by that reaction that you do!" She snickered.

"OH MY BRIGHT SCAR, SHUT UP!!!" I snapped, my cheeks turning a bright red. Twyla ignored my protests. Why can't she ignore other stuff than my protests? "TWYLA!!!"

"Violet and Silverfire sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Twyla sung, although it sounded more like a dying bird and laughter mixed into one voice. She's horrible at singing, by the way. "First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!"

"That's enough out of you." I hissed, making her shut up. She sung it quietly under her breath, still trying to annoy me. I'm trying my best to ignore her, but she makes it so hard. "I do not currently have a crush on Silverfire. He's my best friend-" Twyla almost started singing that song aloud again, but she clearly knew better than to now. "And nothing more. Maybe I might develop a thing for him, who knows? Don't make this more awkward than it already is." Twyla sighed, but didn't complain any further. I must say, this is the most productive my team has gotten with a teammate. Horrible, but true.

~~~

We were still on the road, and we were dead thirsty. I think Twyla's hallucinating, because she seems to think that the cacti are green monsters. That's completely absurd and stupid. She won't stop pointing them out to me, and I keep ignoring her. It's actually a very simple process. But she's getting extremely irate with me now, so I guess I'll have to answer her at some point. The heat was beating down on my body, but it kept my cat ears nice and warm. It's actually quite pleasing. I don't know about Twyla, because she's only been complaining about the monsters.

"Vivi! There's cacti monsters out here, and they're scary!" Twyla whimpered, now clutching onto me. "Can't we get out of here? I don't wanna die today!"

"Twyla, there's no such thing. Now will you shut up while we walk over to the inn?" I growled. She shook her head and pointed to one of the cacti. "It's just a normal cacti, idiot. How is it-"

"Wait." Reluctantly not making a sound, I watched the cacti open its...eyes...? And it stared at us blankly for a second, before doing anything. What is this abomination? Quickly it jumped up and then you could see three of them stacked on one another. Whatever this thing is, it looks scary. And I guess Twyla was right. It immediately charged towards me and slammed into my chest and face, leaving some large thorns behind in my skin and clothing. It then went after Twyla, pure rage on its face. Just what is this thing, and why is it attacking us?

"Twyla, look out!" I screamed for her. She barely heard me, but she managed to catch on to dodge in time. Her wings softened the impact for her, but otherwise did nothing else. She took out her pitchfork and flew up just a little bit. A dark portal appeared before her, ripping a hole in the world. She twirled her weapon a little bit before doing anything. Okay, is that really necessary?

"Pitchfork of Darkness!" She shouted before thrusting (dear Bright Scar that came out wrong) the pitchfork into the hole. Soon a giant hole opened underneath the cacti stack and a pitchfork made up of dark energy came out and skewered it like a kabob. Dang it, now I'm hungry... The cacti stack fell over and landed on the ground. We...did it? "WOOOOOOOO!!!! I DEFEATED MY FIRST ENEMY, ARE YOU PROUD VIVI?!?!?!" And I've gotta put up with all of this screaming until I rescue my team? You've gotta be kidding me...oh well. She's far more cheerful and upbeat than Tristan was. Raising an eyebrow, I nodded. Hopefully this new team won't kill me...


	16. Don't Count Meowt!

**(Twyla POV)**

"I'm dead tired." Violet yawned. She is? I'm not. I could go on for another couple of hours. She must have low endurance. "Aren't you tired?"

"Nope! I'm still raring to go!" I exclaimed, jumping up and down to show my excitement. I can't wait to be able to fly. Violet groaned in exasperation, and I gave her a hug. "Aw, it's okay Vivi! I'll make sure you stay up until we reach an inn!"

"I can stay up..." Violet weakly protested, which came out as a yawn. I gently wrapped one of my wings around her back. She barely tried to push it away. "Mmph...okay, fine. I'm about to conk out..." Her tail drooped on the ground, dragging along. Her cat ears laid flat, and her breath was short. She really is tired, isn't she? "Do you see any inns up ahead?" Squinting my eyes, I tried to see further. "You know, you could just fly-"

"Violet, I don't know how to fly without flying straight into a cacti patch. The last time that happened was pulling thorns out of my butt for days! Correction: I'm still doing that, actually." I sighed. Violet grimaced at the thought of that, which I'm not surprised she did. "Did you actually imagine-"

"Shut up, yes. Can you fly a little bit?" Violet asked. Ew, Violet. That's disgusting.

I tilted my head. "I-I think so. But you can't fly-"

"You'd be carrying me, Twyla! Jeez, how'd that slip your mind?" Violet snapped at me, her fur bristling. She gently took my wing off of her shoulder. "Come on, show me what you can do so far. I'll try my best to make sure you don't fall and hurt yourself fatally." Taking a few steps back, I stretched my wings.

"Alright, but sorry in advance..." I mumbled, quivering greatly. Flapping my wings as if they were my arms, I managed to push myself upwards. "I-I'm doing it!" Smiling, I attempted to move forwards. Instead I fell flat on my face, landing on a mini cactus. "OWW!!!" Violet came rushing over to me.

"Twyla! Are you okay?" Violet yelped, her voice edged with concern.

I glowered her. "DOES IT LOOK LIKE IT?! OWWW!!!!!!" My Bright Scar, this is painful! Who'd think that flying would be this difficult?! "MY FRICKING NOSE IS BLEEDING, VIOLET!!!"

"Twyla, hang on! I'll get help!" Violet yowled. My eyelids began to droop, darkness started to get a hold on me. The comforting spell of sleep sounds really nice right now... "TWYLA!" For what seemed like a split heartbeat, everything seemed to fade away as Violet's cries grew softer and softer...

~~~

"So you've managed to return again, Twyla." That was Shadowseeker's voice, I could tell. "Tell me, why're you joining Violet?" He asked, his voice sneering with contempt.

"I-I-" I stuttered. A hand placed itself on my shoulder. I turned to see Tristan, who was slightly shaking his head. What does that mean? He looked back up towards Shadowseeker.

"Twyla's probably gathering information like I was. Just leave her alone. She's new." Tristan grumbled. "I'm going to introduce her to a few others. Don't follow us." Shadowseeker snarled at Tristan, but said nothing. He turned away from us, whipping his black tail furiously. I looked back at Tristan, who glared at me. "You're lucky I came when I did. Shadowseeker would've killed you." Kill...me? That's scary. "But come on, I wanted to show you someone- well, two someones but that's besides the point."

"Who? Are they people you know or what?" I asked, lightly prodding his shoulder with my elbow. Tristan crossed his arms and sighed. "Okay then. Just take me to them." We walked for a couple of minutes in complete silence. It was kind of comforting walking beside him. He's very calm despite how he normally is.

Tristan stopped suddenly. "Listen Twyla, you'd best be careful in here. So don't leave my side. The people in here are being...tested on. The person I want you to meet is in here and she's a little unstable at the moment, so I wouldn't recommend aggravating her more. Let's go." My tail instinctively twitched in fear. Tested? That's awful! I bet Shadowseeker's ordered this, hasn't he? Wait a minute, is Tristan taking me to see Holly? I hope so, because I've kinda wanted to meet her. Her and Silverfire. Mainly Silverfire because I'm interested in meeting Violet's crush or "best friend" as she puts it.

"O-Okay." I mumbled. Maybe that's what he's doing. Taking me to see Holly, I mean. Well I hope he is. We walked into the room, to see jail cells lined up against the walls. There were some people who were just laying on the ground of the cells, not moving. At first I thought they were asleep, but then I realized they weren't breathing. They're dead. A rather tall woman who was actually asleep didn't stirr. She must've been really tired. The woman had black hair, and wore it in a tiny ponytail that rested atop her head. "I-Is she...?" Tristan nodded. We tiptoed over to her, hoping we wouldn't wake anyone else up. Tristan gently tapped the inside ground of the prison.

"Holly, wake up." Tristan whispered. Holly yawned and glared at Tristan, her green eyes glinting in pure anger and annoyance. She must not like him very much.

"What the f*ck do you want now, Tristan? This better be important, like food." Holly snapped. I'm guessing that they didn't end on good terms. "And who's your new girlfriend? If you're trying to make me jealous by bringing some hot chick along with you, lemme tell you something- IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK." Tristan and Holly...used to be together? I can't imagine that ever working out. "ANYWAYS, I want my alcohol. NOW."

"Holly, we've been through this. I can't sneak out too much in a day!" Tristan snapped at her. Holly narrowed her eyes.

"I suppose you wouldn't mind being the bite victim for today?" Holly sneered. Tristan immediately winced and got up. "Smart choice. GET MY WINE, NOW."

Tristan glanced at me before leaving. "Please, whatever you do, don't piss her off more and don't leave this room. I'll be back, I promise." He left the dark room, leaving me with Holly. Yeah, I don't like her that much. I looked back at Holly, who was glaring at me. Oh come on, I didn't do anything to you!

Holly raised an eyebrow. "So who're you? He doesn't bring random girls into the dungeons with him for no good reason." Well that seems pretty obvious. Why would Tristan take me back here anyways? "Speak."

"I-I'm Twyla." I muttered. Holly raised an eyebrow. "Right now I'm traveling with Violet, my sister."

"Liar. If you were, then how come you're standing right in front of me?" Holly snapped. Opening my mouth to respond, she cut me off. "Don't even. Lemme guess, Tristan decided to bring you here so he could make me jealous. I can't believe he'd lie to me like that...I hope Violet finds out about him and he gets his well deserved death. But of course, I still care about him...it's totally not working. I'm most definitely not jealous." Aw, poor Holly. I wish I could do something to cheer her up, but she'll probably smack me if I did. "I wish he loved me back." She choked out.

"I'm back." Tristan sighed. He walked over to Holly while holding a red wine bottle. "Please don't drink it all up in a few minutes. We have a limited supply." Holly rolled her eyes and attempted to open the bottle. "Do you want help-"

"NO! NOW GO AWAY!" Holly snarled. By now she had the bottle open, and she was just about to start chugging it down. Tristan took me by my hand and took me out. Holly was...interesting, to say the least. Tristan was practically squeezing my hand now, breathing heavily.

"W-Well, I wasn't expecting her to snap like that." Tristan mumbled, still wide eyed. "I don't think we have much time left here. You'll be waking up soon." Soon? Is Violet okay? "I...I look forward to seeing you again, Twyla." His face was red like a tomato, and his green eyes gleamed with nervousness. Is he hiding something? "I hope we have more time to talk in private..." He mumbled softly.

~~~

**(Violet POV)**

"T-Twyla? Wake up, please..." I murmured. We were at an inn now, and we also had a room as well. Twyla still wasn't waking up. Oh Bright Scar, this is all my fault. I let her get hurt. I made her do something she wasn't able to do. I'm such a horrible sister... "I don't think I'll ever forgive myself."

"We aren't headed to another pity party, are we Violet?" Bright Scar growled. "I think we've been through one already."

"I know, it's just..." I sighed, taking off my claws. My tail was lashing in anger and my whiskers were twitching. "I can't protect anyone...I'm a lost cause, aren't I Bright Scar?"

Bright Scar hissed at me. "Stop telling yourself that load of crap! It's not true and it never will be! We'll save Tristan, Holly and Silverfire. Now shut up about it." B-But... "Violet, since you both obviously are going to fail at this moment by yourselves, I'm calling a new companion for you. She'll be here shortly. And by shortly I mean right now." Suddenly a knock at the inn's door reached my ears. As fast as I could, I ran over to the door to see who it was. Who I saw next...was not who I was expecting. She had soft, long silver hair and silver ears sprouting from her head. Whiskers were also on her face and a silver furred tail was swishing back and forth her back. Is that...Ivy? You know, I'm going to be honest- Ivy's beautiful. Too beautiful. Argh, stay concentrated you idiot.

"Hello, Violet! Didn't expect you to be here. Well, I mean I kind of did." Ivy chuckled. Is it wrong that I also adore her voice? "Bright Scar herself asked me to help you fight the Dark Lord Mapleshade. Heh, it was pretty obvious though, really. I'm probably one of the strongest out there!" Smiling to myself, I had to agree. She certainly seems like it. "I hope you weren't planning on counting meowt! Sorry, had to do it. Back on topic, Bright Scar told me that one of your teammates had an ouchie. Is she okay?"

"T-Twyla's alright! W-Would y-you like to c-come in?" I stammered. Oh Bright Scar, why am I so flustered? Even though I can be a coward at times, I've never been...this flustered around anyone, really. Except for Silverfire, of course. Ivy nodded, smiling. We walked back inside to see Twyla, who was now just starting to wake up. Thank goodness! Ivy padded over to Twyla and gently rustled her hair. Twyla softly mumbled something underneath her breath, but she didn't protest. Huh, that played out differently than expected.

"She's starting to wake up, but I personally think that she should get a bit more rest. Plus, she looks hungry." Ivy commented. Twyla weakly nodded, her light green eyes shimmering with agony. Does she have a headache? "Maybe we could head down to the Adventurer's Tavern and see if they have anything she'll eat." I haven't heard that in such a long time...that reminds me of Tristan. Even though I've never liked him in the same way, he'll always be my friend. Maybe one of my best friends. I sure hope he, Holly and Silverfire are okay... "Erm, Violet? Are you okay?"

"O-Oh. I was just thinking about...my friends." I sighed. Twyla closed her eyes again, probably for more sleep. Ivy lightly padded over to me. She gently sat beside me, her tail stroking my back. Oof, is it wrong that I'm enjoying Ivy's company this much already?

Ivy closed her eyes. "You can tell me about it. I won't mind." Does she really want to hear about my friends and how I foolishly let them get captured? Ivy's tail brushed up against mine, now entwining with her's. Bright Scar, help! I don't know what this means! "Are you too shy to? It's okay, I won't press it." Thank you, Bright Scar! I'm not exactly in the right mental state to share that yet. "M-May I talk to you about something, Violet?"

"S-Sure." I squeaked, my voice shaky and nervous. "What is it?"

"My sister Columbia. I found out that she's in Neksdor Town, but...she's with Stargaze. And I really don't like him." Ivy murmured. "Stargaze really doesn't seem her type, ya know? She's one of the smartest airheads I know, and Stargaze is too stubborn for his own good. Plus, he's a Great Sage." I didn't know he was one...I'm learning a lot today. "But I'm not the one to talk. After all, my first experience was with one of my childhood friends, and well...that's how Naomi came to be."

"It's okay. If Columbia and Stargaze have been traveling together for this long, there's no doubt they clearly enjoy each other's company. I can't speak for anyone here, but I'm pretty sure Stargaze is treating her right." Ivy smiled a little.

"T-Thank you, Violet. You seem to be very wise, am I right?" Ivy mumbled softly into my ear. Erm, WISE? Nope. Most definitely not. "Well of course you are, Vivi. I can watch Twyla for a little. You should get some rest." Nodding my head, I laid down on my back and saw Ivy walking back over to Twyla. Ivy's so sweet, isn't she? And beautiful, thoughtful, patient and...oh Bright Scar, what am I doing? Blushing profusely, I covered most of my face with my arm. Why am I feeling this way towards Ivy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was as far as I'd gotten, so now you all will have to wait for when I finish chapter 17.


	17. A Walk Neksdor

**(Ivy POV)**

Me, Twyla and Violet were sitting downstairs in the Adventurer's Tavern, waiting for our food. Violet was getting Scorpion BBQ, I was getting goblin ham, and Twyla was getting cactus juice so she could her sweet revenge. She said a couple of days ago she flew into a cacti patch, so she wants revenge on their brethren. I'm not sure what her problem is, but whatever.

"UGH, THIS FOOD'S TAKING FOOOORRREEEVVVEEEERRR." Twyla groaned. She sharply glanced at Violet, who was half asleep on her side of the table. "VIVI!" Violet almost instantly woke up, her amber eyes glittering with panic. "I'M HUNGRY!!" Violet narrowed her eyes.

"Hi hungry, I'm Violet. Nice to meet you." Violet grumbled aloud. Twyla huffed and looked back over to some others in the tavern. Is Violet in a bad mood?

Scooting closer to her, I tapped Violet's shoulder. "Hey, are you alright?" Violet's face turned a bright red, her eyes wide and nervous. A drop of sweat slid off of her cheeks. "Um, are you sweating?" Violet quickly shook her head.

"I-I'm not sweating!" Violet meekly protested. She then rested her head my shoulder, and I swore I could've heard her softly purring. Was it just my imagination or...? Soon someone brought the food to us and quickly walked away, as if he was expecting us to attack him. We're not THAT bad. Well, I'm not so sure how to feel about Twyla yet. Violet's fine, and she's kinda cute, too.

"HAHAHAAAA!! I SHALL BE GETTING MY REVENGE AT LAST!!!" Twyla laughed aloud. Ugh, she can be so embarassing... She began drinking the juice through a rather small straw, draining all of the juice inside it. Twyla stopped for a split second and raised her eyebrow. "Wait a minute...this is orange juice. DO THEY NOT TRUST ME TO HAVE ANYTHING ELSE?!?!?" I sure wouldn't. Violet sighed and reached across the table to (gently) smack Twyla's hand. "Ow! You're a meanie!"

"I wasn't being a meanie. I was being reasonable." Violet responded, with a smirk on her face. Twyla narrowed her eyes, her cheeks also turning red.

Twyla's tail lashed angrily. "S-SHUT UP, YOU FLUFFY ANT!!!" What? Oh my Bright Scar, this is...wow.

"Pfffffft!! What's wrong with you?!" Violet snickered. Twyla got up and hit Violet on the head. "Stop it, you chowderhead!" Twyla tackled Violet, almost making her fall on top of me. "Ivy, are you seeing this? She's bullying me!" Did me and Columbia act like that when we were little? I don't think so... "Twyla!"

"You're bullying me if anything, Vivi!" Twyla snapped back. Okay, they need to break it up. Quickly I separated the two, forcing Twyla to get up off of Violet. I gave Violet enough time to get up and sit properly, and as soon as she did that she entwined her tail with mine. B-Bright Scar, what is she doing? Does she know that's what lovers do?

Violet's whiskers twitched. "Are we going now?" I shrugged my shoulders, while Twyla stuffed the rest of our food into the food bag. "Well, since Twyla's already shoved our food inside the bag, we might as well go."

~~~

**(Jayson POV)**

"Shove off, blind-boy." Bryce snapped at me. Growling to myself, I drew back my frying pan. Bryce took a few steps back, quivering in fear. "O-Okay, let's not get TOO hasty here."

I hissed at him. "All of my life you've been torturing me and Holly! Then you went ahead and assaulted my cousin Columbia and her boyfriend Stargaze! You've hurt too many people, Bryce. It's time to pay." Smacking him upside his head, Bryce fell down onto the hard, paved path. "I'd do more, but I'm not a murderer. I'll be back tomorrow, a**hole." Walking away from him, I heard footsteps running up to me. I turned around to see Bryce standing back up, pure hatred shining in his eyes. "Look, I know you'll miss me, but give me a break."

"Shut it! That was uncalled for and you know it!" Bryce retorted, ignoring my subtle warning. Poor Bryce- actually, I couldn't give a shit about what happens to him. If Brokenfire kills him first, I will burst in tears of joy. "I will KILL you for that, Jayson!" Bryce ran towards me, his fist in the air. Once again I drew back my frying pan and prepared to strike him. AGAIN. Instead Bryce sidestepped to his left attempted to punch me in the side. Somehow I managed to smack him again, this time in the back of his head. Despite having a blind eye, my correlation is quite decent. "YAARGH!" Bryce fell face first on the ground, making an echoing 'THUD' sound.

"And that is the beginning of my rage. Good day." I grumbled, crossing my arms. That went surprisingly well, for the first time in well, forever. Each time I tried to beat up Bryce before he's always gotten me first. That or I managed to run for it. Usually the later. Walking back the way to my house, I kept casting weary glances back at Bryce, who was still laying on the floor. What if he gets back up? No. He should be knocked out by now. No point in worrying about that, anyways. I walked back to my house, grumbling the entire way back. Columbia and Stargaze better be there still. Once I opened the door, I was greeted by the sight of seeing them horse-playing. Of course. I'm guessing Frost already went out for his date with...Sam. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing wrong with my brother being gay, but it's the person he's with that bothers me. Sam is one of the jerks who used to beat me and Holly up back then. He's only stopped because Frost told him not to hurt me, but how can I trust that? He'll probably try to murder me behind Frost's back. Stargaze seemed to notice me coming in, as he stopped rough-housing with Columbia. Honestly, can't they act like adults for once?

"Oh. Hey Jayson." Columbia greeted me, her breath short and heavy. Is she trying to make her condition worse? I swear I will strap her down with some of my belts if she doesn't stop. She'll get herself killed faster. "How was your childhood revenge?" I shrugged my shoulders, setting my frying pan down on the table next to me.

Sitting down at one of the seats by the table, I sighed. "Managed to knock Bryce out. He'll be leaving me alone for a few days, give or take. Anyways, did Frost already leave?" Stargaze nodded. "Well, I don't know what to tell you. Unless you wanna take a walk with me, you're going to be stuck in here for a while."

Stargaze raised an eyebrow. "Why're you taking a walk?"

"It's...just this feeling that I have to, you know? Anyways, you're welcome to come with or stay here. Although, I wouldn't recommend it." I mumbled. Stargaze and Columbia muttered something between themselves and got up. "So you are coming with?"

"Yeah, I'd rather take a walk right now. Columbia, hand me my staff." Stargaze sighed. Columbia gave him the staff while trying to put on her lab coat. They haven't traveled for a while then, huh? "Where are we going anyways?"

Grabbing my frying pan, I reached for my special belt to hold it. "Outside of town." Columbia grumbled underneath her breath. "Would you like to spend a lovely evening in town then, Columbia?" She shook her head and picked up her flask. Wow, that...actually got her to shut up. I'm amazed. "Okay then, let's go before Frost gets back. He never lets me go on any walks anymore, so we need to go now." Just then a knock on the door reached my ears. Oh Bright Scar no. Don't let it be Bryce or Frost. The door creaked open, increasing my rising anxiety. Soon Frost came in the house with Sam trailing behind him. Sam was taller than Frost, but no taller than Jayson. Sam had tanned skin, like most Neksdor residents. He had light brown hair and dark brown eyes, and was wearing some thief's gear, per the norm. The two of them were blushing profusely once they realized that Jayson, Columbia and Stargaze were in the house.

"O-Oh. Hey Jayson..." Sam murmured. He has every right to be nervous around me, especially since he used to torture me and Holly everyday. Frost glared at me, his pink eyes glittering with anger.

Frost hissed at me. "I can't believe you, Jayson. Was that really necessary? You could've killed Bryce." I rolled my eyes in amusement.

"Oh, is that supposed to make me guilty? Bryce has almost killed me multiple occasions. Why shouldn't I do the same to him?" I snapped. Glancing back at Columbia and Stargaze, I quickly realized that they weren't going to be able to withstand all of this yelling. This is my fault. I shouldn't've let Frost have his way and keep them here. They should've left. They'd be somewhere else, not dealing with our problems. "Columbia, Stargaze and Sam, can you please go to the kitchen? Me and Frost need to talk in private." In an instant, all three of them got up and headed to the kitchen. Luckily they know that things are about to get...personal between me and Frost.

"Jayson, you are just as bad as him to do that!" Frost snapped. "If you'd think instead of take action all the time, you'd know that he's changed!" Bryce changing? As if. He assaulted Columbia and Stargaze, how is that CHANGED?!

I glared at him. "SHUT IT! HE HASN'T AND YOU KNOW IT!!" Frost narrowed his eyes and clenched his fists. "THE ONLY REASON YOU'RE SAYING THAT IS BECAUSE YOU'RE DATING HIS FRIEND!!!!"

Frost was now on the verge of tears, his eyes gleaming hatefully. "Sam isn't associated with Bryce anymore! So stop mentioning it! Why can't you just forget about all those things in the past and focus on the good?!"

"I can't! You weren't ridiculed your entire life! All the time, I've always been teased and bullied because of my blind eye! You didn't even try to help! You just stood by while I had to suffer! Holly was the only one who's ever cared about me!" I snarled, tears falling down my face. It's true. Whenever I was being beaten up, Frost would just watch from a distance. Only Holly cared if I almost died.

"Well if you care about Holly so much, WHY DIDN'T YOU GO AND TRAVEL WITH HER?!!?" Frost shouted before throwing his staff on the ground. He closed his eyes, tears also running down his cheeks. That was usually the closing line, right before we stop arguing about, well...whatever it was we were arguing about. "Get out of this house."

"What?" I half growled and half chuckled. Frost slammed the door open, with a gust of wind blowing into the room. Oh Bright Scar no. That means there'll be a sandstorm tonight. "Close that f*cking door, Frost. I'm not your servant."

"You might as well be. GET. OUT. OF. THIS. HOUSE." Frost hissed. WIth a glare, I picked my frying pan back up and glowered him as I walked out the door. I will be back for revenge, Frost. Mark my words.

~~~

**(Twyla POV)**

"Where do you think we are now, Vivi?" I asked my twin sister. Of course, she doesn't even respond. She's not even ignoring me! She's too head over heels with Ivy to notice me. Ivy might not notice and Violet herself might not notice, but not me! I'm pretty sure Violet has a HUGE crush on Ivy already. Bright Scar, Violet...couldn't you've made it more obvious?! I wouldn't be THAT obvious if I had a crush on anyone. As if I actually would have a crush on anyone, though! Tristan has a clear crush on me, you can tell by is red face whenever I so much as glance at him. And Violet and Ivy will most likely become an item, if Violet would DO something about her crush! You see, once Violet had a crush on this girl in our hometown- that was also the time when Dad found out about Violet being bisexual...it wasn't a good time. Anyways, she'd been so adorably and helplessly infatuated with her, and it was so sweet watching Violet and her interact. Now, her friend is straight and was extremely resentful towards practically anyone who isn't straight, so when Violet confessed how she felt...yeah, you get the idea. And that's when that little b*tch decided to tell our father, and then she got abused even more. Yep, Violet hasn't really had a good love life, if you ask me. At least she's trying again. Or attempting to try.

"I'm not sure actually." Violet responded to my question, finally taking notice of me. "I think we should head to Neksdor town first and ask if anyone had seen Dark Lord Mapleshade recently. We might be able to get some useful information." Ivy nodded, smiling at her. Violet blushed profusely, her amber eyes glittering with adoration while she smiled at her. Totally not obvious at all. Violet definitely doesn't have a crush on Ivy. Sarcasm.

Ivy's whiskers twitched. "Yeah, we might even get our next teammate."

"OOH, I LOVE THE SOUND OF THAT!!!" I exclaimed, taking both Violet and Ivy by surprise. Calming down a little, I simply let my tail lash in excitement. "I really hope it's a guy, in that case. He'd be so rugged and handsome and-" Immediately I shut my mouth once I realized they were just staring at me. Violet sighed, now shaking her head. Ivy held in a chuckle, not wanting to piss me off. "Sorry. Can't help being an Imp."

Violet rolled her eyes. "You were always a hopeless romantic anyways. Besides, blame whoever turned you into an Imp. Clearly Bright Scar didn't, otherwise she'd remember. In fact, I doubt she actually knew you were here."

"Oi, Violet! I can still hear you, ya know!" Bright Scar snapped from inside the amulet. Ivy snickered a little, but didn't say anything. Her dark blue eyes were gleaming with amusement, probably due to the interaction between Violet and Bright Scar. "Did you forget all seeing, all knowing-"

"You're not really all knowing." Violet bluntly interrupted, rolling her eyes some more. "Anyways, let's keep going. We're bound to run into some monsters at some point." True, true. We continued walking for a couple of minutes, somehow still resisting the blistering heat. My feet are now sore, and I could really go for a nap...but I don't want to risk it. And besides, it looks like a sandstorm might roll in at any moment now, so that sounds pleasant. I really hope we find an inn soon... The sounds of scampering feet reached my ears as we continued walking. Was that a monster? Oh please no. A sandstorm is bad enough, but monsters? Now? COME ON!! Ivy paused.

She glanced at Violet. "I think something is nearby, Violet. Most likely a monster." Violet nodded slightly, her claws now ready to strike at any foe that would dare to come near her. So how come when I warned Violet about monsters, she didn't listen to me, but when Ivy warned her, she listened immediately. Ugh, stop being so biased. The pitter-patter of the footsteps grew closer and closer, until...

"YAAAAARGH!" I screamed as something extremely sharp stabbed me in the back. Turning my head weakly, I saw a large scorpion like monster carrying a pair of eyes. Its stinger was huge, and my BLOOD was dripping from the tip of the stinger. Oh Bright Scar, why are all these injuries aiming towards me? Violet and Ivy immediately tried to fend off the scorpion, but their attacks barely landed a scratch on it. Please don't lose...I don't want us all to die today. Violet's claws raked the giant claws on the scorpion, making it unable to attack for the most part. Ivy was trying to aim for the tail, but the scorpion knocked her backwards, causing her to land on the sandy ground. Without a doubt, that hit must've knocked her out. V-Violet, please... Violet barely dodged when the scorpion decided to hit her the exact same way it'd hit me. She'd done a backflip, landing on her four paws. I must say, I'm impressed. Where'd she learn how to do that? Violet was shivering in fear now as the scorpion closed her in. I can't let her die. She's Miitopia's hero, and they can't lose her now. On purpose, I hacked up some blood as I wheezed heavily. Violet's eyes widened. I'm sorry, Vivi... The scorpion raised one of its claws to strike me, to end it all. Violet's eyes were closed; they were shut. Ivy was still knocked out, and unable to fight. Bright Scar, this is it...

"Die, you vermin!" A male voice shouted before the scorpion was sent flying backwards. Who was that? I looked up to see a somewhat tall man with gray hair and pale blue eyes. He had freckles and a few darker markings on his skin, he also had really pale skin for someone who must live here. My heart's pace began to hasten. He saved me. The man looked at me, Violet and Ivy. "Are you guys okay? That looked like quite the beating."

Violet didn't even open her eyes. "No, we aren't. Ivy was knocked out and that scorpion stabbed my twin with its tail, and-"

"It STABBED her?! We need to get to an inn, and fast. I should be able to treat her there." He urgently demanded. Violet nodded and ran to pick up Ivy. The man crouched down and held his hand out to me. "It'll be okay. You'll get treated as soon as we get there, okay?"

I coughed some more blood up. "W-Who are y-you?" I choked.

"Shh. Don't try to talk; it'll hurt to do that. But if you really must know, my name's Jayson." He murmured softly. Jayson is his name? Will he join our team? Please let him, he's so heroic and brave and gentle- Erm, I mean...so kind to have pity on me. I smiled dreamily and weakly to myself. Oh Jayson, you don't know how you've gotten my heart set aflutter. Because honestly at this moment I can think of no other.


	18. Crack in the Bone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A long(er) chapter finally
> 
> And Imp lore because, Imps are cool and they play an important role for a good portion of the story.

**(Violet POV)**

"Jayson? How's she doing?" I whispered, my voice hallow. Twyla almost got killed today. Because of me. Luckily we made it to an inn before the sandstorm came rolling in, but it doesn't make me feel any better. If I had protected her better, she wouldn't be so close to death. Jayson glanced back at me for a brief moment.

He sighed. "She's stable, for now at least. What I'm mainly concerned about is how far the stinger went into her back. That thing is poisonous. It can kill anyone in a split second. I know that from...personal experience." Jayson went back to figuring out what had happened with Twyla. "You know, you could check on Ivy. She's sleeping in a room by herself, isn't she?" I nodded, feeling sick. "You can sleep with her. I'm most likely going to be working on Twyla all night." Just when he said that, Twyla's tail twitched a little. Is she still awake, or is that just instinct? I got up and walked over to the door, every five seconds looking back at Twyla. "She'll be fine. I'm taking care of her." Sighing to myself, I walked out the door and looked around the hallway. Twyla might die because of me. I'm such a horrible sister. Once I reached Ivy's room, I knocked on the door.

"Yes?" Ivy's gentle and delicate voice asked. Oh Bright Scar, why does Ivy have to be so charming? I slowly opened the door, a creaking screech echoing through the hallway. "Oh, hey Violet. What's up?"

I gulped. This wasn't going to be easy. "Jayson told me to share a room with you before the innkeeper finds out and kicks us out of the inn. W-Well, if it's okay with you..." Ivy smiled a little and invited me to come in. Shutting the door, I sat down beside her. "Thanks."

"How's Twyla doing?" Ivy murmured, her dark blue eyes shimmering with sympathy. I sighed. "Oh, okay then. I'll check on her later. Hopefully she's doing alright." I almost killed her. A small tear slid down my cheeks. "H-Hey, are you okay, Violet? I hate seeing you upset." Suddenly I burst in tears, my breathing getting shallow. Ivy gently rubbed her hand against my back.

I sobbed, "It's all my fault for this happening! Twyla might die because of me. I don't deserve her..." Ivy rested her head on top of mine. Is that was sign of sympathy? "My old team was captured by the Dark Lord as well, and I didn't even try to make sure nothing would happen. I'm a mistake, aren't I? I shouldn't even be on this journey." The words 'I shouldn't even be alive' caught up in my throat. Ivy doesn't want to know about my messed up mind. Wait, let me rephrase that. She doesn't want to know just how messed up my mind is.

Ivy's long, silver hair brushed up against my face. "Don't say that, Violet. Twyla won't die. Jayson will be able to save her, so you don't have to feel so upset. We'll help you save your friends, don't worry." She murmured. With a sigh, I stopped crying and looked down at the floor. "Would you like a hug, Violet?" Tears beginning to race down my cheeks again, I nodded. Ivy firmly embraced me in her arms, letting out a soft purr. I'd love to hug her forever, but...well, that won't happen anytime soon.

~~~

**(Twyla POV)**

"OW! Shadowseeker, stop! It hurts!" I protested weakly. Shadowseeker had come again, complaining about how weak I was and how I need special help. Well, you know what Shadowseeker? WE WOULDN'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM IF YOU'D JUST LET ME LEARN AT MY OWN PACE!! But NO, APPARENTLY it was WAAAAAAY more important to do whatever Shadowseeker wants to do because he has to be so picky on how I'm trained! The large black scaled dragon was poking my wings to see if I'd be able to train properly for today, since he doesn't want to kill me too quickly. Shadowseeker prodded at it again. "OOOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!!!!"

He hissed at me. "Stop whining, worm! Or I'll smite you where you stand!" That doesn't sound like fun at all. Rather reluctantly, I stopped squirming and stood back up. "Bright Scar, you get on my nerves. Would you rather have Tristan checking on you instead?" Shadowseeker asked mockingly.

"Yes." I snapped back. Shadowseeker grumbled to himself and presumably went to fetch Tristan. Soft footsteps could soon be heard from behind me once Shadowseeker left. I turned around to see two Imps who were...kinda like me. One of them was taller than me, and they had dark blue horns that curled up like a goat's. They also had dark blue wings that had white spots on the front. The other Imp had orange horns like a antelope's, and their wings were orange with black stripes. She was rather small, too. Who are they?

The orange winged Imp grinned widely, their eyes flashing with excitement. "Wow! I didn't know that Shadowseeker got a new Imp recruit! I'm Talon Tail! Nice to meet you!" Quickly I realized this Imp was an energetic Imp, like me. Plus, this Imp is female. Her long pink hair reached her shoulders, and her bright yellow eyes shone with vigor.

"Calm down, idiot. We've never even seen her before." The other Imp grumbled, her tail lashing in anger. "Who are you? Never seen you in the village before or in the castle." Castle? Village? Imps have those? Then where? I've lived in the Powdered Peaks region my entire life, so I wouldn't know.

"Erm...my name is Twyla. I'm not from either of those places, and I've never even heard of an Imp village or castle." I mumbled. Talon Tail tilted her head, while the other Imp raised an eyebrow. "It's true, you have to believe me! I wasn't even born an Imp."

Talon Tail walked over to me and felt my wings. "Hmm...well, I think it's safe to say that you're either a horrible flier or you've never flown in your entire life. Just how did you get an injury THIS bad? Fallen Icicle, do you know?"

Fallen Icicle shrugged her shoulders. "I have no clue. But she looks about my age and Imps should already have their horns matured by now. Tell me Twyla, what were you before you became an Imp?"

"I was a human. I'm 17 in human years, if you're wondering." I murmured. Fallen Icicle suppressed a smile, while Talon Tail began jumping up and down.

"Hmm. That's the age where your horns start to grow into their final shape. Like Talon Tail's, for example. She has antelope horns, and I have goat horns. But Talon Tail is...a special case. Only Imps like her have antelope horns." Fallen Icicle explained. Wait, why? And does it hurt? "She's a lightning Imp. Instead of her dark magic having just dark energy, it also has electricity in there too. That's why she's here, training with Shadowseeker. I'm an ice Imp, you can tell by my name. Basically the same as her, but with ice magic. We're rare kinds of Imps."

Talon Tail nodded. "Yeah, and that's why Queen Pyrite lets us stay in the castle! But she's a meanie. I don't like her all that much, if we're being honest." She touched the base of my wings, her fingers sliding down my jade green wings. A small moan escaped from me. Why does this feel so good? "Wow, you're really sensitive to touch there. Although it is true that all Imps like being touched by the base of their wings, so I don't blame you." All Imps like being touched there? Ugh, this is going to be unpleasant. Especially if someone accidently touches me there.

"Yeah, and the horns are also very sensitive as well, just warning you. Plus it depends on how they're touched, like if they're being physically hit by anyone, it hurts a LOT. But then again, the same goes for it like the wings." Fallen Icicle remarked. "Anyways, do you even know how to fly?" I shook my head.

"OOOOHHH, COULD WE TEACH YOU?! PLEEEEAAASE?!" Talon Tail exclaimed, her voice coming out as a wail. Sighing to myself, I nodded. "YAY! Let's- wait. What are we going to do about that injury? How did you even get it, anyways?!"

Folding my wings in, I shivered. "You know those scorpion enemies in Neksdor? One of them stabbed me in the back with its tail." Immediately Fallen Icicle and Talon Tail grimaced. Well I can't blame them. The wound probably does look painful.

"You're lucky to be alive. I must say Twyla, I'm impressed." Fallen Icicle commented, her sky-blue eyes wide. She turned to her left. "Great, Shadowseeker's back. And he has the stupid prince with him too." Prince? Is she talking about...Tristan? He can't be a prince. And just how could he be one anyways? Fallen Icicle seemed to notice my confusion. "Mapleshade is just a person who's being possessed. That was his mother. Beats me why he's still alive, especially considering how he said he had a brother." Aw, poor Tristan. It must suck to know that you'll never see your mother in the same light ever again. Maybe I could help him somehow. I don't want him to be all sad about it his entire life. Tristan and Shadowseeker came towards us, with Shadowseeker practically dragging Tristan along.

Shadowseeker hissed at me. "I don't get why you want his attention so much. He has no time for a lowly servant like you." Servant? What does he mean by that? "You two- get back to your stations. Or you'll end up like Petal." Petal? Who's that? Fallen Icicle and Talon Tail grumbled to themselves, but they left without any major protests. Shadowseeker narrowed his eyes at me. "You'd better start getting better soon. Dark Lord Mapleshade wants to see how his recruits are doing soon." With that, he stalked out of the room, leaving me and Tristan behind.

"Ah, I'm...I'm sorry for uh...bothering you from your princely duties, Tristan." I apologized, my tail twitching nervously. Tristan blushed profusely, his face like a tomato. "Anyways, can you check my wounds? Shadowseeker doesn't know how to check them properly." Tristan smiled a little, his hands brushing up against the base of my wings. Giggling, I grinned at him. "You knew that Imps are sensitive to touch there, didn't you?"

Tristan nodded, his green eyes gleaming with mischief. "I couldn't resist. Let me check for real now, okay?" Calming down a little, I folded my wings in so he wouldn't be tempted to do it again. "Hmm...well, it doesn't look too bad, but it isn't good, either. You shouldn't fly or do anything with your wings for a while."

"Okay, but can I do this?" I whispered, a slight tease in my voice. Tristan raised an eyebrow, not sure what I meant by the question. I turned to face him and wrapped my wings around him, gently nuzzling his chest. He blushed heavily, and it almost looked like he wanted me to keep going. "Aw, you want me to continue, don't you? I don't blame you. I'm very hard to resist~" Smiling even more, I licked his cheek, earning a small chuckle from him. "Sorry, I just had to shower some affection to you. You were practically begging for it."

His eyes widened, his face a deep red. "I-I...um..." I don't think he thought I'd catch on so quickly. Giggling sweetly, I pecked him on the cheek. His stutters are honestly adorable. Gently and rather slowly taking my wings off of him, he stuttered even more. "Y-You j-just-"

"Kissed you on the cheek, I know. Your stuttering is very cute, might I add." I purred, despite my own cheeks feeling hot. Bright Scar, I really enjoy being around Tristan, but I can't be with him anyways. So why am I flirting with him? I've never felt any sort of attraction to him before. Jayson, however...he saved my life. So shouldn't I be feeling stronger towards him instead? Ugh, this is confusing! Tristan smiled gratefully, his eyes gleaming with infatuation. He makes it too obvious about his crush on me. Why does he even like me anyways? According to Shadowseeker Imps are servants. So why? Maybe I should ask him about that instead. I don't want to get too personal at the moment. "Erm...I have a question, though. Why did Shadowseeker say that I'm a servant? I've never even worked for him before!"

"Ah, well...around here, Shadowseeker and Mapleshade have forced Imps to be their servants. And Mapleshade is dead serious on that rule. And he's even forced Queen Pyrite to join him, otherwise he'd destroy them completely. And they disagreed and declined his offer. So then Mapleshade um...decided to force them to fight for him by..." Tristan mumbled. Oh dear. That sounds awful. And whatever Tristan's going to say next is even worse? My Bright Scar, please don't let it affect me too much! "Don't freak out too much, okay Twyla? But Mapleshade had Shadowseeker use mind-control on them to get them to agree. What's even worse is that Shadowseeker can control any Imp out there, whether they were born an Imp or transformed. W-Which includes-" ME. Oh Bright Scar, please no. What if Shadowseeker decides to use me to harm my friends? What if he forces me to kill innocent people? I don't want that! A tear falling down my cheek and onto the floor, I whimpered.

Shivering immensely, I whined a little. "I don't want that...Tristan, is there anything you can do?" Tristan tilted his head thoughtfully, his green eyes glittering with curiosity.

"Well, I could trick the castle scientist into making you a necklace or pendant to help prevent it. I'll try my best for you, Twyla. But it might take a while, so just hang in there, okay?" Tristan sighed. He'll actually do that for me? I nodded vigorously. "Thanks. I'd absolutely hate to see you under control of...him." He spat. Why does he have to be so nice to me? I don't know him that well and vice versa. "I'll try to do it as fast as I can. But for now just try to resist if Shadowseeker does do it." Maybe I could ask him if he could make two more for Fallen Icicle and Talon Tail? No. That'd be too suspicious, and Shadowseeker would already be angry with Tristan anyways. "You've gotta go soon, Twyla. Otherwise something might happen to you in the real world." Oh crap, I forgot! Jayson's probably been worried sick!

~~~

**(Jayson's POV)**

I muttered, "Luckily she didn't get stabbed too bad. But what was she thinking, trying to kill herself off like that? Did she WANT to cause her friends more grief?" There was no point in grumbling. Twyla still wasn't up yet. She's still breathing, which is a good thing. But the only reason I know how to treat someone from a scorpion stinger is because I live in Neksdor, duh. I've seen my fair share of people with these kinds of injuries limp for life or more usually die. Twyla was lucky. And should I be happy that she's alive? She's an Imp, for goodness sake! Ever since Queen Pyrite joined the Dark Lord, Imps have been our enemies. Despite knowing this, I can't help but feel...calm around her. Twyla's jade green wings and tail twitched. Is she waking up soon?

"J-Jayson? Where are we?" Twyla choked out. She wearily glanced around the room. "Are we at an inn? Where's Violet and Ivy? Why're you the only one in here?" She talks too much. Like Columbia, I added mentally. Man, I miss Stargaze and Columbia...who knew that two annoying lovebirds could be good company?

Sighing, I gently stroked her hair. "You'll be fine, Twyla. I'm still trying to heal your wounds, that's why." Twyla smiled weakly, purring a little. Wait, Imps can purr? I did not know that. "You're very lucky to be alive. Usually when one of those monsters sting you with its tail, you die almost instantly. But why did you try to divert the scorpion's attention during that battle? Were you trying to get yourself killed faster?"

Twyla sighed. "No, that's not why. You see, Violet is supposed to be Miitopia's chosen hero. And she's my sister. If either of us were to die in that moment, it HAD to be me. Don't you understand, Jayson?" No I don't. Me and Frost definitely don't act like that. At the moment I couldn't really care what happens to him in that sandstorm. "It's okay if you don't. I haven't seen Violet in five years. Our village casted her out for murder, even though she didn't." Violet? A murderer? To be honest, I can see that a little bit... "Violet's grown so much... And honestly, I didn't expect her to turn out to be so attractive." Attractive? I-I guess so, but...Ivy looks a lot more attractive if I'm being honest. Long, silky, flowing silver hair and dark blue eyes that shimmered in the pale moonlight? Pinch me, I'm dreaming. Bright Scar, why'd you have to make both of my cousins so beautiful?!

"Well, would you like to rest some more?" I asked her, hoping she would listen. I certainly don't want her to be all upset in case the sandstorm heads this way too. Twyla shook her head.

"I'm ready and raring to go!" She exclaimed. And to prove her point she tackled me, making us both fall on the inn's floor. I glowered her. Why'd she do that? She could've gotten herself an even worse condition! Why am I even worried? I don't even know Twyla. A knock came at our door. "Come in!" Twyla invited despite not knowing who it was. The door opened, and I saw Ivy coming in with Violet in her left arm. What...?

Ivy glanced at me briskly. "She fell asleep on my shoulder." She snapped hotly, her face red. With an attitude like that, I'm starting to think something happened in there while they were alone... "Anyways, I saw some big sand clouds outside our window. You live here. Do you know what it means?"

"Yes. It means a sandstorm is on its way." I grumbled, crossing my arms. "Which means the inn will be on lock-down for while, so it'll be best if we all share the same room, just in case."

Twyla scampered off of me, her tail lashing in excitement. "Oh, I can't wait! We can all sleep together in the same room!" Her jade-green wings spread out at once, almost hitting me in the face. "Oops! Sorry, Jayson!"

"How is a lock-down FUN? It means we could possibly die or get seriously injured! In Twyla's case, she'd probably die!" Ivy hissed while setting Violet down on the bed that Twyla was sleeping on. Aw, I think Ivy cares about Violet a lot more than she lets on. "Just how haven't you since you've landed face first on a rock, and now being stung by a scorpion?!"

Twyla shrugged her shoulders. "I dunno. But that's a good thing, right? Now Violet won't be all sad when she wakes up!" She really loves her sister, doesn't she? Ivy glanced briefly back at Violet, sympathy gleaming in her eyes. "It's okay Ivy, Violet'll be alright! You don't need to worry so much!"

"I-I'm just slightly concerned, that's all!" Ivy snapped, her cheeks flushed a bright red. She laid down beside Violet, wrapping her tail around her leg. "I'm going to sleep. So shut up." Twyla rolled her eyes and snickered. "I SAID SHUT UP!" Ivy covered her mouth immediately once she heard Violet groaning a little. Ivy nuzzled Violet's shoulder. "It's okay, Violet." She murmured softly. Twyla sighed and wrapped her wings around me, a wide grin on her face.

  
"O-Ow!" I yelped, jumping back a little. Why'd her wings get so unbearably hot for a second there? That HURT, you dolt. Twyla tilted her head. "Sorry, it's just that your wings are burning hot."

The female Imp felt her wings. "I think you're just imagining things. They feel just fine. See?" Sighing, I touched her wings once again. The heat that made contact with my hand was like touching my frying pan when it's on the STOVE. Bright Scar, is this natural for all Imps? Quickly drawing my hand back, I blew on it rapidly, trying to cool it down. "Huh. Your skin must be overly sensitive. Either way, night Jay-Jay!"

"Hmph. I'd kill you for calling me that, but I need to sleep first. And your wings hurt my poor hands." I growled, walking over to my bed. Twyla smiled a little, most likely oblivious to the fact that her wings DID burn my hands. Just what is she? She curled up into a circle, folding her wings in and her tail wrapped around her leg. Gah, that's really cute. Too cute. Her tail twitched nervously as she began snoring, though. And small whimpers could be heard coming from HER...just what do you have to hide, Twyla?


	19. A Sealed Crown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't support LGBT, then turn back because I don't want to have hateful comments on here. I'm putting it in my story and there's nothing you can do to stop me, so either stop reading or endure what's to come with the romance and such.

**(Columbia POV)**

I poked Stargaze's cheek. "Stargaze, I don't like this..." I murmured while curled up in the bed. "And I miss Jayson. Do you think he's okay?" Glancing at Frost and Sam, I realized that they were talking about him too. Stargaze sighed, stroking my hair.

"I don't either. But we'll figure it out, and then we'll be on our way." Stargaze attempted to console me, and then quickly pecking me on the cheek. "Jayson will be okay. He is okay. So you don't need to worry."

Frost chuckled. "And how do you know?" He mocked. Stop it! You don't know anything about Stargaze, so how should you know about his amazing Great Sage powers? Bright Scar, I sound like I'm his fangirl of some sort. But still! "Even Great Sage Rakim didn't have foresight. And besides, who could survive in that weather?!"

"So? You aren't a Great Sage so you don't know anything! So stop being a huge jerk, Frost!" I found myself answering. Stargaze just blinked, seeming unfazed by my sudden outburst. How does he do that? Like, how does he just manage to block out the rest of the world going on around him? I sure can't do that, and neither could Ivy or Stone! And Stone was really quiet and usually stared off into space. So how can he do it, but they can't? I gently licked Stargaze's forehead. "Stargaze? Are you alright?" I mumbled. He smiled a little, his blinded pale silver eyes gleaming with amusement.

He let out a strained laugh. "I'm fine. I'm just worried about the seal. Won't Brokenfire be returning soon?" Frost jumped from his chair, grabbing his coat. He rushed towards his staff, his soft pink eyes wild with fright. "What'd I say?"

"Brokenfire created a storm EXACTLY like this one right before he rose from his prison. We need to find that jar, and FAST." Frost spoke as he put on his penguin vestments and his pouch, what was what I guessed held some medical supplies. "Stargaze, you and your girlfriend stop messing around and get your stuff. Sam, you stay here and watch the house because I'm not losing you today." So he'd rather have the three of us die while his boyfriend lives? That's pretty messed up, but understandable. I would do the same thing for Stargaze, wouldn't I? But then he'd be so upset that I was gone...I hate seeing him upset. I shouldn't be thinking about death. There's no point. We need to go.

Sam bent down on his knees in front of Frost. "F-Frost, I love you. Please don't." Frost sniveled and kissed Sam on the forehead. A tear ran down Sam's cheek. Aw, this feels so sad watch...no one should have to go through pain like that. Even if they're a giant jerk. "P-Please, you were the only one to ever care about me..."

"I know Sam, but...I can't risk losing you. You're too important to me." Frost whispered. As he spoke, more tears slid down Sam's face. Oh Bright Scar, this is too sad to watch... "I love you too, Sam. But please, stay here. Brokenfire won't find you if you stay hidden." At that, Sam burst into tears, not caring who or what was watching him anymore. "S-Sam. Please, I can't-" Frost's plea was cut off at once when I saw Sam kissing Frost on the lips. O-Oh. Me and Stargaze have never done that, have we? Stargaze already had his staff in his hands, his eyes closed. Did he fall asleep? Poking him in the shoulder, I leaned down to whisper in his ear.

"Stargaze, are you okay?" I murmured. He blinked, letting out a heavy sigh. "W-What...?"

Stargaze grumbled. "Stupid visions. Can't control them. I don't want to see all these potential futures, ugh." P-Potential futures? What does that mean? D-Did he see me in his visions? Was there a future where we live a happy life together after all? I hope there is. I love Stargaze too much to even think about that... Stargaze glanced at Frost and Sam, his blinded eyes narrowed. "Well? Are we leaving or what?"

Frost sighed, nuzzling Sam's forehead. "Yes. And I pray to Bright Scar that we all survive this." Dammit. This means we're not going to survive, doesn't it?

**(Ivy POV)**

Violet's warm fur brushed up against mine as her soft snoring echoed within the room. She's so peaceful in her sleep... Twyla was still asleep, curled up on the floor while Jayson was already up, putting his clothes on. He's actually kinda...good looking from afar. He glanced at me, his pale blue eyes shimmering with unease.

"Do you mind?" He snapped, his face red. Sighing to myself, I looked back over in Violet's direction. Jayson's such a dramatic person, ugh. Violet isn't like him at all. Violet's so calm and patient...and so sweet. Her purple fur glistened in the morning sunlight, making it as if her fur was sparkling. Sigh...she's so pretty... "Will you stop getting so twitterpated over her?!" Growling at him, I unsheathed my claws and scratched them against the nearby wall.

I hissed softly. "This will be you if you mention me and Violet one more time." Jayson rolled his eyes and continued putting his clothes on. "Hey! I'm threatening you!" Violet mumbled something else under her breath. Dang it, Jayson! You woke her up- I did that, didn't I? She opened her eyes, yawning a little as well. "Violet, are you okay? I'm sorry for waking you up, it's just that Jayson was being a little-"

"It's okay, Ivy." She yawned, her tail swishing back and forth. Violet's really cute, isn't she? Bright Scar, I shouldn't be thinking this way. Why'd Violet have to be so...how do I put it? Um...well, she was being sort of seductive last night. She constantly kept purring and rubbing her fur against mine and...well, it wasn't something you'd see everyday. And MAYBE I liked it. Maybe a bit too much. Maybe I liked it too much that it carried over into today. Violet stretched her arms, legs, and tail, her mouth gaping as she yawned. "Whew...I must've been knocked out pretty hard last night. I'm still sleepy. Hey Jayson, how's Twyla?"

Jayson shrugged his shoulders. "I have no clue. But she should be feeling a little better now that she's had a nice long rest. Longer than the rest of us." He shot a glare at Twyla, his pale blue eyes burning with mild anger. Is he okay? He'd better be. I'm not dealing with his stupidity today. "We should get something to eat and then we can...head our separate ways." Does he actually want to travel with us? If he does, he should just ask! Violet smiled at him.

"Jayson, if you want you can travel with us. You don't have to be so shy about if you want to come with." Violet purred, her voice a tease. Wow, I didn't know how seductive she could be...or is she just simply teasing? "And besides- Twyla's taken quite a liking to you. She'd be sad to see you go so soon." Jayson blushed a little, looking down at his bed. Wait, Twyla might have a crush on HIM?! Oh Bright Scar no, that's just wrong. How could that even work anyways?!

He sighed in defeat. "Fine. I'll stay with you guys. But it's not like I like you guys or anything!" Oh please. You love us already. Jayson glanced back at Twyla. "I'm just concerned about Twyla. When did her wings start scalding you when you touch them? She accidentally burnt mine last night, and they still hurt." Twyla's wings being scalding hot? As if! That's not possible at all! Imps don't have special powers besides their dark magic, and that's not very special at all! He's lying. He must be. "If you think I'm lying, then touch them. You'll see."

Jumping down from me and Violet's bed, I padded up to Twyla, who was still curled up in a ball on the ground.

Her tail twitched slightly as she made soft murmurs in her sleep. Twyla's wings folded onto her back, curling up around her waist. Aw...she really does look cute when she's asleep. Reaching for the inside of her wings, I felt the light jade green part of them. "MRRRAAAAAOOOW!" I yelped, yanking my paw backwards. That burns! Why are her wings so hot, anyways?! What did she do to them?! Immediately I began blowing on my paw, hoping the searing pain would go away. Violet looked at me, concern in her eyes. Is she really worried about me? She leapt down next to me, pressing her fur against mine. Violet licked my paw, her tongue rasping against my skin. "Ow, ow, ow. My hand still hurts."

"I know it does. But I'm trying to help, aren't I?" Violet grumbled in between licks. She's...so sweet. And kind. Bright Scar, why am I even thinking about her so much? Soon Violet stopped, resting her head on my shoulder. "I think that should be enough for now." She panted. Her tail rubbed up against my back, making me purr a little bit. Twyla began waking up, now stretching her tail and wings.

Twyla yawned. "Hey, why was Ivy screaming in my ear? That really hurt you know! And why are you all looking at me like that? It's creeping me out." Oh, the poor little Imp. If only she knew.

Jayson glared at her. "If you must know, it's because your wings burnt Ivy's paw as well as my hand. You need to keep your Imp powers under control." Twyla tilted her head, her light green eyes glinting with confusion. "Twyla, are you even listening?! Of course not, your head is always in the clouds! Forget it. I'm not explaining this anymore. Ask Ivy or Violet." Did he have to get so upset with Twyla? She didn't even snap back at him. Twyla's eyes flashed with hurt, and she looked back at me and Violet.

Violet sighed. "I'm sorry, Twyla, but it's true. You did burn both Jayson and Ivy's hands and err...paws. I know you didn't mean to, though." Twyla nodded and sniveled, wrapping her arms around Violet's shoulders. Aw, they really act sisterly, don't they? So much more than me and Columbia...I miss her so much. I wonder how she's doing with Stargaze, since I know she ran off with him. Just how did she even fall for Stargaze in the first place? He's arrogant, stuck up and absolutely pig-headed. He's far too stubborn for Columbia, and Columbia's far too airheaded for someone like him. It'll never work out for them. Why couldn't Columbia just stay with me, Naomi, and Stanford? Wasn't she happy with us? Did she hate me for yelling at her about Stargaze? She probably does. Or she just forgot about us like she does with everyone else. Except for Stargaze, since he's the only person she seems to think about besides herself. Why did Columbia have to be so selfish? Couldn't she see that she had family and friends back in Greenhorne? So why? Why did you leave, Columbia? "Ivy? Are you okay?'

"Huh? Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just thinking." I mumbled, shaking my head. Maybe I need some more sleep. Maybe that'll make me feel better. Twyla raised an eyebrow, her eyes lighting up with amusement. What's she trying to imply? Is she trying to imply that I have a thing for Violet? Well I don't. Just because I think she's really cute and adorable it doesn't mean I have a crush on her. "Stop it Twyla. I know what you're trying to imply, and it's not working."

Jayson walked over to the three of us, chuckling a bit. "I have to agree with Twyla on this one. It's really obvious by now." No it's not! Isn't Violet usually really expressive with her feelings? He turned towards Violet. "Hey Violet, why don't you tell Ivy what you think about her?" Wait, how DOES Violet feel about me? I've never really thought about it until Jayson brought it up. Does she like me as a friend? Does she see me as a rival? Does she see me as an older sister? That's really interesting to think about, actually...but I don't want her to be forced to tell us how she feels about me. It's just wrong, and it's exactly how I found out Stone liked me all those years ago. Although I am grateful that he was coaxed into saying it, it was still wrong and forceful. And I don't really think I could even WANT to be in a relationship after Stone and I happened...it ended in tears, that's all I want to say.

"I-I um...I-I..." stuttered Violet, her body shaking as she sat beside me. Her amber eyes were wide with shock and worry, and also on the verge of tears. And this is exactly why this wasn't a good idea in the first place. I don't care if she likes me or not, I don't like it when anyone's forced to share how they feel about someone at all. Even if they do like me. "I-I-"

"Oh for crying out loud!" Twyla snapped, her voice fading into a sigh. "I know how Violet feels about Ivy, but I'm not going to say anything. Jayson, please don't push her into saying it. Violet's not exactly the best at telling others how she feels. There was her ex-best friend who was a complete female dog, and then Silverfire who I've only heard about from Violet."

Violet narrowed her eyes. "For the last time, Twyla- I did not have a crush on Silverfire!" Her face was a bright red and her tail was lashing furiously. I'm starting to think she actually did have a crush on this Silverfire guy...huh. And I'm starting to get the hint that Violet has a thing for...me? But why would she? We've only known each other for a few days, and besides...there's much better options than me. And I can't start a relationship with someone else after Stone...he was the only one I actually loved in that way, and he's the only one who I'll ever love in that way. If only he decided to stay in this world...if only I'd been a better mate towards him. Now he's dead, and Naomi has to live without a father. It's my fault. I'm an idiot for ever falling in love with Stone and having Naomi so young. How could I ever love someone ever again?

Jayson laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll leave you alone about it." He rustled Twyla's hair, taking her by surprise. She looked up at him and smiled, a dreamy glint in her eyes. Oh Bright Scar, I was right. She DOES have a crush on Jayson. Ew, that's just wrong. Jayson's eyes trailed away from her, a slight blush on his face. Yeah, that's what I thought he'd do. Can't he just own up to Twyla having a crush on him and accepting it? He looked over to Violet. "We should go soon. The sandstorm seems to have died down over here, but it might get heavy over in Neksdor Town. And I'm worried about everyone there...there's something we need to look into." Something we need to look into? Why? I don't know anyone there, nor do I care about anyone there.

"Why should we go to Neksdor Town? It's not like checking on everybody is going to do any good. And besides, I don't really care about anyone there, so it's a solid no from me." I growled, glaring at Jayson. He sighed, shaking his head. "What?"

"You poor, poor soul. Your sister Columbia and Stargaze are in Neksdor Town right now." He murmured. WHAT?! This can't be true. It can't be. He's lying to me. Columbia couldn't have gone over the border just to be with Stargaze. She has limits, doesn't she? And Stargaze- he wouldn't stay with her for that long. He just wouldn't. "I can tell you find it hard to believe, but it's true. But you won't believe me anyways unless you see them. But jeez, I feel bad for them. Some horrible shit happened to them once they came to Neksdor." What happened to them? Oh Bright Scar, I need to find Columbia now and help her if that's the case...and if Jayson's telling the truth.

I stood up immediately, growling to myself. "Well then. We don't have much time to waste, do we?"

**(Twyla POV)**

"So, when should we be in Neksdor? A few hours? Minutes? Days?" I grumbled, stretching my wings. Jayson and Ivy forced us to go out the door and head for Neksdor Town, since we can't wait at all. Violet's hanging around Ivy at the moment and I'm just walking behind Jayson at the moment. Jayson glared at me.

He snapped at me. "Stop grumbling and you'll find out when we get there!" Hmph! I was just asking! Why does he have to be so hot-headed and act like a jerk sometimes? I get that Jayson's stubborn, but...he's such a meanie! "And knock it off with your pity party. It's annoying and unnecessary." JEEERRRKK- "And judging by the expression on your face, you're calling me a jerk right now." Violet snickered a little bit. HOW IS THIS FUNNY?! IT ISN'T AT ALL.

Ivy chuckled breezily. "You and Twyla would make quite the power couple, Jayson." WHAT?! Jayson whipped his head to face the half neko. "What? It's true, you guys are adorable together. Just imagine how adorable the two of you together would be! In fact, I love you both together!"

"And from that day forth, Ivy became the official matchmaker for the team." joked Violet, her amber eyes lighting up with joy. Aw, I think Violet really enjoys being around Ivy...they're so sweet together. Ivy just cracked up, tears streaming down her face. "But in all seriousness, you and Twyla are quite cute together."

Jayson rolled his eyes, huffing a little. "W-Well the same could be said about you and Ivy, Violet!" He stuttered, puffing his cheeks out. I never realized it before, but...Jayson's really cute when he's angry, isn't he? Jayson's face was a bright red, his pale blue eyes shimmering with rage and...happiness at the same time? Why? Isn't he angry? Well, he IS but...why would he be happy at the same time? He's really strange, but he's really interesting, too.

I sighed, laughing a bit. "Let's just change the subject, alright? We don't want the lovebirds to feel too embarrassed about it." Quickly I felt a pang of regret poke my heart once I realized I shouldn't've said that. Violet won't be too happy to tell Ivy the truth, will she? Ivy looked at Violet, raising an eyebrow. Jayson groaned in exasperation, while Violet gulped, a shocked expression on her face. "I-I'm sorry, Violet! I-I didn't mean to-"

"It's okay, Twyla. You were going to reveal it at some point, so it really doesn't matter all that much." Violet sighed, shaking her head. Wait, really? She's serious? Wow! I can't believe it...is Violet going to tell Ivy herself. Violet glanced back at Ivy, her tail twitching nervously. "I-Ivy...there's something I wanted to tell you for a while now."

Ivy tilted her head. "What? If it's about me drawing on your face while you were asleep last night during the sandstorm, then I'm sorry and I regret it." She WHAT? Why? Why did she even do it in the first place? And how? I thought she was asleep! "N-Nevermind what I said. Carry on."

"Mmhmm. Let's keep it that way." Violet sighed, rolling her eyes. She shook her head, grumbling to herself. "B-Back to what I was saying...um...Ivy. I-I've actually been crushing on you for a while now. It's becoming obvious among us all, so I guess it had to come out at some point." FINALLY.

"Y-You...have feelings for me?" Ivy murmured, her mew soft. Violet gulped and nodded. "I-I didn't expect anyone to actually like me or anything...but I'm just not sure about starting a relationship at the moment. Don't get me wrong, I like you too, but...I'm just not ready to be in a relationship after my last one when to disaster..."

Violet smiled. "I'd prefer that, actually. It feels nice to get that off of my chest." Her amber eyes gleamed with love, while her tail swished back and forth happily. The two Cats hugged one another, purring loud enough for anyone to hear. "I love you, Ivy."

Ivy purred. "I-I love you too, Violet." Aw, they finally said it! That's nice, seeing as they would've hidden it forever if I hadn't said anything, so yay me! But that makes me wonder...what about me and Jayson? Is there something he's hiding from me as well?


	20. In Between Chapter #1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, a little heads up but sometimes I'll be doing these so I can characterize Tristan, Holly, and Silverfire more and maybe Violet too. Plus, they're fun to write about.

**(Tristan POV)**

"Tristan, get your lazy butt up!" Holly screamed at me. Rather irritated, I rolled off of my bed, landing on my stomach. "Honestly, you can be such a disgrace to this team!" I opened my eyes to see her staring right at me, her green gaze focused on me. "Well? GET UP!!!"

"Shut up. You just forced me to wake up, how do you expect me to react?" I grumbled, rubbing my head with my hand. Getting up, I glanced at my armor and grabbed it. "I'm not giving you a show, either. So stop staring, pervert." Holly glowered me, her green eyes glinting with pure rage. This should be entertaining. "Aw, did I hit a newve? I'm so sowwy." The stubborn cleric marched right over to me and smacked me in the face. "Jeez, Holly! Why're you so violent?!"

Holly stuck her tongue out at me. "Wouldn't you like to know?" Yes, I would actually. "Tough beans! You're the absolute dumbest man I've ever met!" What does that have to do with anything? Whatever, I feel like annoying her more.

"And you're the cutest woman I've ever met." I teased, winking at her. Holly blushed immensely at the remark and looked away from me. "What's wrong?"

"S-Shut it, you idiot." Holly muttered. Wait, did she actually like the compliment? Oh Bright Scar, I was just teasing! She glanced at the door, a dreamy glimmer in her eyes. Oh Bright Scar, here we go again... "I'm so happy that Silverfire decided to join us. He's SO cute~!" Ugh, her obsessive swooning over him is disgusting. She needs to get a hold on herself. "Too bad Violet also likes him, because I should have him! Don't you agree, Tristan?"

"Not really, Holly. You're becoming obsessed with the guy. It's a little worrying." I mumbled, hoping not to grate her nerves. Seriously though, Violet's a much better match for him in my opinion. Even if...I don't really like the idea of them being together. Holly rolled her eyes, laughing a little bit.

She snatched my sword from me, yanking it out of my hands. "Idiot. It's not worrying at all. Is it a crime to be in love?" No, but you hardly even know him and you're already saying that you love him. Now THAT'S disgusting and a crime. Seriously, Silverfire doesn't even look all that interested in Holly. "I'm not giving this back until you say I'm perfect for Silverfire." Can we please do this another day? I'm not really in the mood for this...

I gently took her hand and kissed it. Holly glared at me viciously. "We're perfect for each other~" I teased, pretending to look all sweet and innocent. She smacked me in the face again, her face completely red. Rubbing my cheek with my hand, I chuckled. "It's the truth, you can't deny it any longer~" Holly hit me again and again, growling to herself. Why does she have to be so mean...? It really hurts that she seems to hate me...   
A tear slid down my face as I shivered in fear. I sniveled, wiping away some of the tears falling down my face. "Leave me alone, Holly! I was only teasing!" I wailed like a helpless newborn child.

Holly's green gaze widened in shock. "I-I'm sorry, Tristan, I didn't mean to-"

"NO. Leave me alone, jerk." I hissed, yanking my sword from her hands. She HURT me. She wouldn't have stopped if I hadn't said anything. For all I know, she could've killed me in her fit of rage. And it's all because I didn't say what she wanted to hear. Brat. I won't forgive her for this. Never. Slamming the door to our room open and shut, I sighed. Why doesn't Holly like me anyways? Is it because I'm not like Silverfire? Or is it because I'm just being myself? "Why did Bright Scar have to call someone like HER on the team? It's like she wants us to fail."

Footsteps from across the hall padded up to me. It was Violet. "Oh, hey Tristan." She yawned, stretching her arms a little bit. Why can't Holly be more like Violet? Holly's so violent and aggressive...she'd learn a thing or two from Violet. "I think I overheard you and Holly fighting. Is everything alright?" Her eyes were barely even focused on me, and judging by the bags underneath her eyes she doesn't realize I'm crying. Thank Bright Scar for that.

Shaking my head, I sighed. "Nope, Holly just smacked me over and over again because I told her that she and Silverfire wouldn't be a good couple." Violet's eyes widened in concern, along with a hint of confusion. Why is she so concerned? Wasn't I the one who pushed her into almost killing herself? Why should she even care? Why isn't she happy that I'm suffering now? "My cheeks still hurt, but I should be okay." She poked my cheek, her beautiful amber eyes shimmering in the reflective light from the window. "OW!"

"Obviously you won't be okay after this. If I only poked you and you're making a fuss over it, clearly you aren't. I'll have a chat with Holly and see why she got so upset. Maybe if I'm able to calm her down, I'll try to see if she'll heal the bruise up for you, okay?" Violet mumbled, brushing her hand against my hair. Is she trying to be sympathetic for me, or is this genuine sympathy? Because I'm not buying the latter. She should've kicked me off of her team after that. I don't deserve her friendship, I really don't. "Go stay with Silverfire for a little while. I don't want him wandering out of the inn's room on accident." She walked gingerly into me and Holly's room, her amber eyes gleaming with anxiety. I don't blame her, I really don't. Walking down the hall, I kept going until I slowly padded into the room Silverfire and Violet were sleeping in. I really hope he hasn't wandered off by now. That would suck, since he's our only Mage and seems to make Violet happy, which are the only two things I care about for our team. As long as we have a Mage we'll have good magical offense and as long as Violet's happy nothing like this will happen again. Well, I hope that's the case. Once I walked in, I saw Silverfire passed out on his bed, wrapped up in his blanket. I laid down next to him, blushing a little bit. His wild dark auburn hair seemed to get even more messed up during his sleep, causing it to curl up a little as well.

Gently rustling his hair, I smiled and sighed. "You shouldn't be this adorable in your sleep." Silverfire barely stirred, only making a soft purr. Drool was dribbling from his mouth, as his mouth was wide open. He smiled a little, nuzzling his pillow while he was still asleep. There should be a law against someone like him acting so cute in their sleep. I swear, I could just fall asleep next to him...I should do that. I am tired from that crying. I shuffled closer to Silverfire, slowly wrapping his blanket around myself as well. Feeling extremely lightheaded and dizzy, I almost began SNUGGLING with him in bed. Bright Scar, I'm stupid for doing this...but do I really care? I'm tired, and Silverfire can question my sanity once he wakes up. Inching closer to him, I slowly closed my eyes as I felt sleep taking ahold of me.

~~~

**(Violet POV)**

"Holly, please. I just want to talk to you." I pleaded, gently tapping Holly's shoulder. She sniveled again before whipping her head the opposite direction just so she wouldn't have to see me. Aw, Holly...I get how angry and guilty you feel, I really do...this just isn't a healthy way to deal with it. "Holly. I only want to talk. That's it." The stubborn Cleric grumbled something underneath her breath, but didn't protest.

She sighed, now facing me. "What?" Holly murmured, her dark green eyes stained with tears. I sat down on the floor and rubbed her back with my hand. "Whatever you're trying to do, it's not helping."

I nuzzled her shoulder. "It's alright, Holly. I get how upset you are about everything recently." Holly raised an eyebrow, a glimmer of pure curiosity shone in her eyes. "I haven't exactly been wanting to talk to Tristan at all ever since he said those words to me...they really shook me for the final time, you know? Although I can see him as a possible acquaintance, I don't really think I'll ever see him the same way. But maybe we should give him a chance, Holly. Maybe he'll change." Holly shook her head, another tear falling down her face. Oh Bright Scar, you gave me what was at the bottom of the barrel for my team, didn't you? I guess I can't complain. At least Bright Scar sent some people to help me out. But it doesn't mean I have to like them.

"It's not that, Violet, it's..." She trailed off, now looking away from me. I gently prodded her shoulder, hoping she'd respond to me and finish what she was going to say. Holly, why are you so angry all the time? And why don't you like me at all? You've never seemed to like me since Silverfire entered the team, and even then you still showed slight dislike for me as a leader. So why, Holly? Why are you so convinced that you hate me? It baffles me, it really does. Holly looked back at me, tears welling up in her eyes. "I-It's because...I-I...really like Silverfire. Like, in a romantic way, you know?"

Nodding, I rested my head on her shoulders. "I get that for sure. But why is it upsetting you?" And why is it upsetting me, I wanted to ask to her. There wasn't any point in asking; she doesn't care all that much except for the fact that she likes moaning and complaining about things that aren't our fault but she really likes to blame us. Holly sighed.

"It's stupid, but...I'm super paranoid about him liking me back and Tristan teasing me about it." She confessed in a sigh. "I find Silverfire to be so handsome, dreamy, and perfect for me. But then this morning, Tristan decided it would be funny to tell me that I was wrong for loving Silverfire and that my love for him is obsessive and that I should knock it off. And then he told me that me and Silverfire won't ever happen! He's so annoying!" Unfortunately I agree with Tristan on this one. She's very obsessive and it kind of came out of nowhere. If you were going to choose someone who would be most likely to return your feelings, it'd have to be Tristan. At least he doesn't seem to care at all about all of that nonsense when it comes to romance. I think he's more of the type to just go with the flow. But I don't want to hurt her too much...

Hugging Holly, I nuzzled the bottom of her neck. "It'll be okay, Holly. Tristan will stop bugging you if you don't react. How do you think I survived my first night with a roommate on this adventure? He kept bugging me about why I'd chosen to be a thief if I was supposed to be Miitopia's hero." I sighed, looking down at the floor. "I didn't even choose it though, so I don't get how he came to the conclusion of I was a beautiful rogue thief on the run who stole the pendant so I could redeem myself."

Holly snickered. "He calls you beautiful a lot, Violet. I don't think he's noticed, but I think he's developing something for you. It's all adorable, in all honesty. But I'm not saying you have to do anything with him. I'm just saying." Does Tristan like me that much? Nah, I doubt it. I think he'd rather us stay friends than be together. "Look, I don't think Tristan wants to see me right now, so if you want you can go ahead and tell him that I'm really sorry for hurting him."

"He'll just think you're too prideful to apologize if you don't, Holly. You might as well just come with me back to me and Silverfire's room." I chuckled lightly. Holly groaned in annoyance, but didn't complain too much. "Glad to see we've agreed on SOMETHING today."


	21. Burning Doubt

**(Stargaze POV)**

I held on to Columbia's hand, hoping she wouldn't accidentally let go. She wouldn't let go of me, I know. But what if she does and decides to leave me like Frost did with Sam? Maybe I should've left her with Sam. Then she'd be safe like him. And she wouldn't have the high chance of dying like she does right now. But there's nothing I can do to stop it now. She's really stubborn when she wants to be, and I can't control that. Unfortunately, but that's part of her charm. Columbia yanked on my hand even harder once she began running. Oh Bright Scar, where are we headed? Is Frost trying to kill us?

"Over here." whispered Frost, presumably from in front of us. Columbia yanked me again, almost making me yelp in shock. Why is she pulling on my arm so hard? It really hurts. We came to a sudden stop and Columbia immediately hugged me. Is she THAT worried about me?! "Columbia, try not to kill your boyfriend." She let out a suppressed hiss at Frost, but didn't say anything. Columbia, please... "Whatever. Keep your voices down, he's already here." Who? Oh, Brokenfire. Right.

From what I could hear, Brokenfire was laughing heartily. "Whar har har har! Finally, Neksdor's true King has risen from his prison!" King? Of Neksdor? Oh Bright Scar no. That isn't good at all. I need to do something. Shifting closer to the sound of his voice, I felt something block my path. I think it was Frost or Columbia preventing me from getting his attention. "Time to reclaim my throne, but first...where's Sarah? And my precious daughter, Holly?" Sarah? Holly? Who're they? Well, I only know about Holly from Frost and Jayson's argument, and even then that's still not enough to give me any context on her. Frost stiffened as he sat beside me. Why's he getting all tensed up at that? Is it something related to Jayson? It must be if he's getting upset.

"Oh, Bright Scar no..." Frost mumbled underneath his breath. "Holly ran away from Neksdor for Greenhorne, and Sarah definitely isn't in the right state of mind to see Brokenfire anytime soon..." Holly...ran away from here? Honestly, I can see why she did, with a father like that. I feel really bad for her now. "Now I'm actually starting to hope that Holly actually comes back to Neksdor..."

Columbia muttered something in response. "I don't even know who or what you're talking about, but I totally agree. I think..." She murmured softly. Seriously, Columbia? It really isn't up for debate that this guy is bad news and that his daughter had a pretty shitty life by using an accurate and educated guess. But I won't hold it against her. Columbia's too darn sweet and adorable for her own good... "What should we do, Frost?" She whispered, now holding me in her arms. Frost sighed.

"I have no clue. But whatever we do, we can't afford to catch Brokenfire's attention." mumbled Frost, his voice shaky. At least he's said one smart thing today. "If only Jayson were here...he was the only few of us townsfolk in Neksdor that he actually tolerated."

I snorted. "That should say a lot about you." Columbia gently smacked my cheek, although it didn't really hurt all that much. Alright, alright, fine. Frost isn't that bad, but he's bad enough. He kicked Jayson out of the house during a raging sandstorm, and that house wasn't even his! Frost kicked Jayson out of his own house? If you ask me, that's pretty stupid and wrong. At least I never did anything like that to Silverfire or Hazel. And I just can't forgive what he did that easily, either. Frost has no idea what he's been putting Jayson through, due to his own selfishness. Jayson shouldn't have to deal with someone like that hurting him...it's horrible.

Frost only grunted in response to my retort. "Just shut up and keep your voices down. He's getting closer and things aren't looking too good." Brokenfire's getting closer to us? Oh Bright Scar no! I don't want to die now! Columbia held onto me even tighter, a few of her tears falling onto my face. She doesn't want me to die. I don't want her to die. I hope we both can make it...maybe Frost too.

* * *

**(Violet POV)**

My fur brushed up against Ivy's as we kept walking for Neksdor Town. Does she actually love me in that way? Was she just making things up for my sake? I hope not. Ivy's the first one to truly steal my heart like that. I can't risk losing her now. Twyla was trudging ahead of us, her wings folded up and her tail lashing in what I presumed to be anger. Why's she so angry? What happened- Jayson happened, didn't he? Jayson was basically our guide to Neksdor, and I really don't want to risk losing him on our team either. He saved Twyla's life when I couldn't. Well, going by that logic Ivy did too...but my point still stands! How come Twyla's the one getting hurt so often? She's a klutz, but...she isn't that klutzy! Is the Dark Lord causing this misfortune on us to prevent us from making it to his castle? Probably. Am I going to lose it at some point? Definitely.

"UUUGHHHH!!!!!!! I'M STILL BORRRREEED!!!!!!!!" Twyla exclaimed, stretching out her wings as well. She jumped on top of Jayson and glared at him. He had pure shock on his face, which I can't blame him for. "JAYSON! WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE!!!???" Jayson's going to beat her up, isn't he? I can't blame him, I've done that to Twyla many times for something similar.

Jayson barely even tried to get up off of the ground. "T-Twyla, get off of me." He choked, his throat dry and raspy. Twyla's eyes widened in fear, and almost immediately she scrambled off of his chest. Now realizing that...oh Bright Scar, she'd better not have a crush on him. I...don't trust him with someone like her, and adding the fact that she's my sister. "T-Thanks." Jayson struggled to get up, but he managed to sit up straight.

Twyla hugged him. "I'M SO SORRY, JAYSON!!" She wailed at the top of her lungs. Jayson just sighed, shaking his head. Tears streamed down her cheeks as squeezed onto him even tighter. Oh dear, this genuine regret, isn't it? I don't see what the big deal was. She licked Jayson's cheeks, making him freeze up for a split second. Yeah, get used to Twyla's random ways of showing affection for you, bud. She began nibbling on his neck as well, almost making Jayson giggle a bit. Well I'm surprised, he doesn't seem to be ticklish there. Twyla wrapped her wings around his back, purring helplessly. With a yelp, Jayson lightly pushed Twyla off of himself. Twyla tilted her head, completely baffled. "W-What's wrong? Did I do something bad?"

"I-It's okay, I'm not too badly hurt." He groaned, rubbing his back. Jayson's pale blue eyes shimmered with pain. Is he okay? It looks like it really burnt him that time. "Twyla, your wings keep burning me. You can't keep doing this without realizing you're hurting me each time you do so." Twyla's crestfallen expression told me everything I needed to know about how she felt. She sniveled, rubbing her eyes as tears slid down her face. "Twyla, I didn't mean to hurt you-"

Twyla shook her head. "I'm a monster." She whispered hollowly underneath her breath. Turning away from Jayson, she let out a shuddering sigh. Is she okay? Maybe I should help her. I crouched down to face her, my whiskers twitching. "GET AWAY FROM ME!" She screamed, her tail lashing in anger. W-What?! Why's she so aggressive all of a sudden? I'm her sister! Doesn't she like me anymore? T-Twyla, I thought you liked me...no. She loves me. We're sisters, and I'm going to comfort her. "Go away, Violet!" She snapped, pushing me away from her. S-She pushed me...why? I felt Ivy's fur now brushing up against mine as Twyla stood up and looked away from us. Twyla didn't push me. She didn't. She couldn't. Jayson walked up to her, a pained expression on his face.

Jayson sighed. "Twyla, I didn't mean to upset you. You aren't a monster at all. I think you're a really sweet and beautiful person." He...really thinks of Twyla like that? Does he actually like her? Why do they keep giving each other such mixed signals then? Twyla sniffed, a tear falling to the ground. Jayson wrapped his arm around Twyla's shoulders, sighing out loud. I got up, brushing the dust off of my once vibrant purple pelt. As Twyla and Jayson comforted each other, Twyla began purring softly. Stop giving more evidence that leads to this conclusion! I...don't like it at all, really. Ivy stifled some laughter, which I don't get because it isn't funny. Eventually they broke away from each other, with Twyla staring amorously and helplessly into Jayson's eyes.

"Do you really care about me that much?" She murmured, her tail twitching back and forth as a small dribble of drool came from her mouth. Ew, Twyla. Do you have to drool over him too? Jayson nodded, scratching his head and raising his eyebrow. Twyla smiled, a red tinge on her cheeks. Leaning closer towards Jayson, Twyla planted her lips upon his, her hands wrapped around his back. Twyla let out a long, prolonged moan as she pushed her lips harder against Jayson's. Seriously?! Was that really necessary?! Why do you like him so much, Twyla?! Why?! Finally breaking away from each other, Twyla giggled dreamily. Jayson only sighed in annoyance, although his blind pale blue gaze told me that he enjoyed every second of it.

He smiled in an awkward, moonstruck matter. "Y-You're such a good kisser." Jayson finally managed to stutter as Twyla took pleasure in his squeamishness. Bright Scar, do they have to be so obnoxious about this? For Bright Scar's sake, Twyla only kissed you Jayson! Growling to myself, I rolled my eyes. Let them be the team's resident lovebirds, I can't care anymore. At least Ivy has common sense not to go gaga over anyone like that...at least I have that common sense too! Wait, scratch that. I've sorta been going crazy over Ivy for the past few days...but can you blame me? She's so beautiful and sweet! How couldn't I fall for someone like her? But with Jayson...what does Twyla even see in him?! He's so cranky, rude, and stubborn! Like Holly...I-I miss Holly. Maybe that's why I'm so angry about it. He's too much like Holly for me to like him. I miss Tristan and Silverfire. I just want them back...they were like real family... Tristan's laid-back nature was always annoying for me, but it was so comforting and I didn't even realize it. Holly's stubbornness was always irritating, but it got me going and ready to fight monsters after being fired up already. Silverfire's airheadedness and sweet nature towards me, even when I didn't deserve it. Even Twyla and Jayson's lovesick nature towards each other somewhat reminds me of Holly and Tristan. They all really cared and loved me, and I was too stupid to care. Now I might never see them again because I wasn't paying attention. And they probably hate me for it. Bright Scar, why did you have to curse me with this mission? I'm just a stupid traveller with no common sense. And someone who deserved to die at that crossroad where I sliced my throat all those weeks ago. Feeling a tear slide down my cheeks, I turned away from my new team.

"Violet? Are you okay?" Ivy called out to me. No. No I'm not. I can't be around them right now...it hurts too much...I want my old friends back. Why do I have to suffer so much? Why couldn't I have just been normal? Why do I have to go through all of this just to save a bunch of people I don't care about? Why couldn't Tristan, Holly, and Silverfire stay with me? Why can't I just be put out of my misery already? In a flash, I began rushing away from them as the tears fell down to the loose sand. They wouldn't understand. They won't understand. I can't do this anymore. I don't want to be Miitopia's hero. I never asked for this. I never wanted this, this part that I must play. Why couldn't Bright Scar force someone else to be the hero of this story? I want to be free of this hellhole, I want to be released from hell's grip on me. If I wanted to, I could just unsheathe my claws and end it all now...finally be done with life. But what about afterwards? I don't want to suffer more once I die. Bright Scar wouldn't welcome me up there. I just know it. Running even faster, I could see Neksdor Town in my sights. As soon as I get there, I'll hide. I'll hide and make sure that no one ever finds me. I can't deal with everything right now. It all hurts like stones raking against my soft flesh, making the blood drop onto the ground as if it were shattered glass. I don't want to be here anymore...I just want to be free.

* * *

**(Columbia POV)**

Brokenfire had just left for Neksdor Castle to my relief, as he was really close to catching us. Stargaze was still wrapped in my arms and Frost had already gone to check on Sam. Letting go of Stargaze, I looked around the desert town. Everyone was still shut inside their houses, within good reasoning too. Stargaze sighed, his sightless eyes staring at the town entrance. What's he worried about? If Brokenfire comes back? If Brokenfire were to come back then he would just appear and- oops, Stargaze wouldn't know that since he's blind. Dang it, why am I so forgetful? At least Ivy would remember that. Although Ivy wouldn't be the one running away from home, so...eh. Maybe it's about Jayson? Come to think about it, I'm pretty worried about him too. Frost did send him away during that sandstorm.

"What's wrong? You look worried." I commented, rustling Stargaze's long, silky black hair. He barely stirred as he stared off into the distance. Okay, this is getting worrying. I gently tapped his shoulder. "H-Hey, Star? Are you okay?" Almost at once Stargaze's head snapped up, making me yelp. He chuckled awkwardly.

Stargaze grinned, although his expression was in pain. "I'm sorry for startling you, Columbia. But anyways, not really. I keep getting visions over and over today, and they really hurt my head..." He shook his head as if that would make the visions shared with him disappear. Aw, poor Stargaze...I wish he didn't have to get those visions if they hurt him so much. "I kept getting one about a team of four people entering Neksdor at once, one in a rage, another completely crestfallen and hopeless, and the other two are really startled about the whole situation. Something about the one in a rage reminds me of someone...Ivy, I think? But why would she even be here? Unless-" Yeah yeah, I know. Because she was so worried about me that she decided to take me away from Stargaze. Stargaze was always really sweet to me, even if he lost his temper here and there. Ivy won't take me away from him that easily. "Maybe it means that this group is coming really soon and that we have to help them." Ugh, I hope not. Brokenfire's enough of a problem to deal with.

"Why're you even staring off in the direction of the entrance, then?" I grumbled, crossing my arms. Stargaze laughed breezily, rolling his eyes. What? Did I say something stupid? "What?" I snapped.

He mumbled, "The thing is, they're closer than you think. In fact, I'd say that we'll be seeing them very soon..." Is he joking with me or is he actually serious? Stargaze snickered in amusement. "Oh, I'm not kidding either. They're coming for sure, in right about-" Not wanting to listen to Stargaze brag anymore, I turned my attention towards the town entrance. Was Stargaze right, though? Will I actually see Ivy again? I want to, but...she'll force Stargaze and I apart...I love him. I've been with him long enough to know that he's the only one who could ever love me for who I truly am. As I gazed at the Neksdor entrance, I caught a glimpse of a half-neko rushing into Neksdor, her face stained with tears. Her fake pelt was purple, although it looked like it used to be an extremely lush and vibrant purple beforehand. Now it was stained with dust and sand all over it. She had a white underbelly, paws, and tail-tip, which is honestly quite rare to see. The half-neko also had icy amber eyes, cold enough to freeze you in one place. She looked heartbroken and upset, as if she was desperate to get away from whatever it was she was running from. I can't bear to watch any longer. She shouldn't be so upset. I ran over to her, which unfortunately ended in me running into her.

"S-Sorry, I didn't mean to!" I yelped, scrambling off of her. She only sighed, rubbing her back. She looks really upset. Is she okay? "A-Are you okay? You look really sad." Suddenly the half-neko burst into tears, her tail curling up around her legs. Oh no! I said something wrong and stupid, didn't I? I could hear Stargaze rushing up to us, his eyes glinting with fear. He's going to be so upset that I hurt someone like that. I'm such an idiot.

Stargaze glanced at her. "H-Hey, I think I remember you...Violet, isn't it?" He whispered. Violet? Who's that? If I only met her once, then I obviously don't remember her. She nodded, sighing to herself. "What's wrong? Has something happened?" Why's he getting all up into her business at any rate? It's rude!

Violet sniveled. "W-Well, the Dark Lord took away my previous team and sealed away my powers. Bright Scar gave me new teammates, but they reminded me too much of my last team to take it anymore. I needed to get away." Wait...she must be that hero who's supposed to save Miitopia! So that's why she's a Cat now? Huh, makes more sense now that I think about it. Stargaze murmured something softly to her, seeming to put her at ease. What was that supposed to be? And why hasn't Stargaze ever used that on me when I'm having a panic attack?

"Would you mind telling me the names of your new teammates?" asked Stargaze, his voice flowing with concern. Violet gulped, but nodded.

"Their names are Twyla, Ivy, and Jayson." She murmured, her tail lashing in unease. Ivy and Jayson joined her team...? And they were called by Bright Scar to join Violet? Dang...I wasn't expecting that! Stargaze seemed to have the same initial reaction as me. Violet took another deep breath and sighed. "Tristan, Holly, and Silverfire were on my last team." SILVERFIRE?! H-He was on her team the whole dang time, and while we were searching for him he was off with Violet? And now he's been captured by the Dark Lord? Oh Bright Scar...I think I'm going to be sick.

Stargaze looked down at his feet. "I drove Silverfire away from me that night by saying all those horrible things to him, and now he's been captured by the Dark Lord...I'm an a**hole, aren't I? I'm such a horrible brother. If only I could just reach out and talk to him and tell him I'm so sorry...if only I could tell Hazel I'm sorry... Hazel would probably kill me if she found out, wouldn't she?" There was pained laughter in his voice, as if he was trying to forget all he'd done. He knows what he did all to well. And no, he's not a very good brother, But I still think he'll do better.

"Hah hah, yes, I would." A cold, bitter voice laughed from my side. I turned to my left to see a woman about Violet's age glaring at Stargaze. She had dark auburn hair that was tied into a bun, along with hazel eyes and her skin almost exactly like Silverfire's. She had dark red glasses on, and was wearing a brown vest with white cotton fluff around the collar. The vest showed her belly button, and she also had brown shorts on as well. Her clothes were ragged and worn out, and a bow and some arrows were slung onto her back. I-Is that...Hazel? But I thought she was dead!

"H-Hazel?" Stargaze stammered, his voice cracking up. He blinked slowly. "I-It really is you."

Hazel snarled at him, tears falling down her face. "You lost Silverfire, you idiot! Do you know how stupid and dangerous that was of you?! And you said mean things to him when you knew that he was upset?! You really are a horrible brother, Stargaze!! Did you know that?!" Stargaze only nodded, staring off into space. "Are you even paying attention to me?!"

"I am, Hazel. It's just that you'll have to get used to the fact that I'm blind now." stated Stargaze, his voice giving away nothing. Hazel's gaze widened as she fell to the ground on her knees. She immediately hugged Stargaze, his robes catching some of her tears. "Y-You can stop hugging me."

She reluctantly moved away from him, now gazing at me. "So who's she? Your friend or something?" Stargaze smiled, nodding. At least he's really happy to introduce me to his sister.

I stuttered, "T-Technically, we're dating now." Hazel's expression turned to deadpan shock as she gawked at me. Seriously? How did she not pick up on that? Oh well. She glanced back at Stargaze.

"Good for you! I never thought someone would fall for you, but whatever." Hazel patted his back, smiling a bit. Stargaze only sighed, rolling his eyes. Wait, what does she mean by that? I personally think Stargaze is almost impossible not to fall for! Violet looked back up from looking at the ground.

Violet whimpered. "G-Guys, I hate to break it up but Twyla, Ivy, and Jayson are almost here." Oh Bright Scar no. What am I going to do once Ivy gets here? She'll take me away from Stargaze for sure! Glancing back at Hazel, I smiled to myself. Hazel might be able to help me there. Maybe Ivy will let me keep traveling with Stargaze after all. And maybe everything might be alright.


	22. Lonely Winds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to make this chapter longer but then I decided not to, because even though the limit I made was around 2000-5000 words per chapter, there wasn't really any point to this chapter except to reveal what's up with Silverfire. XD I was tempted to write just a little bit about Holly though, since if you look back to her last POV chapter she was about to get tested on...but too many spoilers! (Do you know how tempting it is to just spoil it all for you guys? VERY.) Anyways, the next chapter will have a lot of drama based off of the ending of the last chapter. But alas, I really want to get started on the Realm of the Fey arc because Neksdor has no real plot and putting Violet through more misery is what we need (what I want) is actually a good way to start a side plot. Plus, I already know who the next team is going to be and ahhhhhh I really want to write them now... AND THERE'S TWO IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THE END NOTES. THANK YOU.

**(Silverfire POV)**

With a grunt, I forced my eyes open to see...nothing. Or does darkness count? I think so. Then I'm seeing darkness everywhere, because I have no clue where I am. Where's Holly? Where's Tristan? Where's Violet? I want them back...I want my friends! Attempting to call for them, I tried opening my mouth, only for a searing pain to course through my jaws. Feeling my mouth, I quickly realized that I was muzzled. On my hands, there were steel chains preventing me from doing anything. Same with my legs. Where am I...? I'm scared... Briefly glancing around, I could see faintly lit up candles surrounding my surroundings. I think I'm going to be sick... Footsteps could be heard from my front. Looking up, I saw a night-scaled dragon with brooding, green eyes glaring furiously at me, although his face was in a twisted grin. Oh Bright Scar...I'm going to throw up- wait I shouldn't because then that will be disgusting. Malice shone in the dragon's eyes, and from what I could guess this wasn't going to go well.

He chuckled cruelly. "Hello, dear Pha- Silverfire." Did he slip up on my name? How? I'm a wanted fugitive with a bounty on my head, how could he slip that one up? Unless we're somewhere else and he's never heard of me? Yeah, let's just go with that... "Do you know where you are? Don't be shy, it's okay to speak, you know." Is it? Again, I tried to open my mouth but the searing pain came back. And it HURT. I let out a muffled scream, thrashing about the cell with the tight chains squeezing the life out of me. "How does it feel? Painful, perhaps? Good. Maybe if you had the wits about you, you wouldn't be in this mess. Tell me, do you know what your foolish actions did? How they almost  _died,_  trying to avenge you for your foolishness?" The dark dragon snorted. What is he going on about? I didn't do  _anything_! "Of course you don't remember them at all, not after what Arabian Dagger did to you. That arrogant swine should've stayed out of our quarrel. You're going to pay for your crimes against me, worm. Maybe then you'll have learned your place. But first…the Dark Lord would like to have a conversation with you. I have no inkling as to why, but it seems important."

With that the dragon left me as he padded away, the only thing giving him away was his faint glittering scales, as if they were bleeding red stars. Why would Mapleshade want to talk to me? Where's Holly and Tristan? Where's Violet? I just want answers… Closing my eyes, I felt a tear run down my cheeks. I want Violet…I want my friend back…please. Stargaze? Hazel? I'll take anyone, I'll do anything…

"So, you're this…unique specimen I've been hearing so much about from Shadowseeker." I recognized that spine-rattling voice at once. Mapleshade, the Dark Lord of Miitopia. Looking up, his green eyes seemed to drill themselves into my skull as I pathetically gazed up at him. Almost as soon as I made eye contact with him, a soft glow enveloped from his eyes as I couldn't bare to bring my eyes away from his. Crazy as I am, but a tiny, calming feeling crept into my head as I gazed into those…lovely green eyes… "Since I'm feeling compassionate today, I'll unchain your mouth for now simply because it's unnecessary and stupid, no?" Once he'd said that the chains fell off of my mouth and onto the ground. Thank Bright Scar, I couldn't stand that any longer… The searing pain that was inflicted onto my mouth slowly but surely began to cease to my relief. "So tell me little one, how did you end up here?"

Forcing myself to speak up, I rasped, "I-I just woke up in h-here…" Mapleshade only grumbled in response, shaking his head.

He growled, "Not what I meant. Tell me, what led you to waking up here?" What the heck does he even mean by that? Recite my entire life story? Sorry to break it to ya, but I can't remember that far back. But because Dark Lord Mapleshade might kill me or steal my face if I don't comply, I'll just say everything about my time in Greenhorne before meeting Violet. I can't say anything about joining Violet; he'll hurt me for sure! But if I make up a lie, then maybe I might be able to get out of this quicker. His glowing green gaze bored into me once more. I should tell him. I can trust him.

"I-I traveled to Greenhorne with my older brother, S-Stargaze…and we stayed there for a while. H-He was meeting this woman named…uh…I don't remember her name, but they were good youquiantances? Accantances? Acquia- friends. They were good friends," I stuttered, looking at the dusty, stone floor. "T-Then Stargaze said some…mean things to me, so I ran away."

Mapleshade shot me a look full of pity. "How sad indeed. If I remember correctly, your brother was made into the Great Sage by late Great Sage Rakim, am I correct?" Gulping, I nodded. Why would he want to know that? Is it important to him or something? "Tell me, do you think a Great Sage should be treating his own  _kin_  like that?"

Shaking my head, I murmured, "N-No. He was really mean to me." I was inclined to agree with Mapleshade as his eyes emitted that softish green glow. Why did Rakim appoint Stargaze as the next Great Sage anyways? Couldn't he have picked Hazel or someone other that Stargaze? Why not…me? After all, Rakim must've had foresight; just  _why_  wouldn't I be considered at least a slightly good pick? Stargaze didn't even know how to use magic; he didn't even have any magical qualities about him! …Rakim was wrong and foolish to pick that twat. It should've been me or Hazel as the Great Sage.

The Dark Lord sighed. "That certainly was wrong of your brother to do, wasn't it? Does he really deserve to have his title any more, after the way he treated you? Consider your best friend, Violet. What if Stargaze were to meet her, with his unrestricted harshness?" A small spark ignited within my chest; Stargaze would hurt her! I can't let him do that! O-Otherwise…otherwise I'll…I'll…kill him. I'll find the most slow and painful death for him, and make sure he knows I did it. Wouldn't that make Hazel proud of me, putting to death the one that hurt us both? Of course she would. "I can tell you want to murder that cretin already, judging by your shaking. From here this may be impossible to do. However, I have an offer you can't resist."

I whispered, "You do? What is it? Does it involve something painful for Stargaze?"

"Of course it does, my dear. Think of this becoming a reality: You're the Great Sage, and have overthrown Stargaze. He's forced to bend to your every will and you're able to harm him to your heart's desire, kill him in cold blood even. The entirety of Miitopia falls at your hands, and you have Violet as your wife. You'll have your friends back as well," offered Mapleshade, his sinister voice cruel and uneasily disturbing. Glancing down at the floor, I shook my head in a slight daze. What? I mean, I  _do_  want Stargaze to suffer for what he did, but I wouldn't want him to die! Was I seriously just thinking of killing him a while ago? But why? Unless…is Mapleshade trying to…oh Bright Scar, I don't even want to think about that and I don't even remember where I was going with that thought. "Look little one, all I'm saying is that if you take up my offer, I could make you powerful, give you your rightfully deserved vengeance, make you adored and loved eternally by Violet, and have all your friends back." B-But I…is that what I really want, though? I just want to be Silverfire, and nothing else. And why would I want Violet to adore and love me? I mean, she's my best friend and all, but…why would Mapleshade say that? There's nothing really going on between us. And from the way he described it, that seems like pure infatuation and not love. I may be stupid, but I know there's a difference. …That I don't know of.

I shook my head. "Sorry, but the answer's no-" Almost immediately a bright green flash caught my attention as I whipped my head to face him. A strong, chilling sensation washed over me as the light grew stronger and stronger. What was I thinking, answering no to Mapleshade's offer? He's right; after all, Stargaze had hurt me and I deserved to have something to myself for once. And why shouldn't I trust Mapleshade? He's really nice. "My tongue must've slipped, my lord. I accept your offer."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N #1: I hope I made it obvious enough that Silverfire is being hypnotized by Dark Lord Mapleshade because it's incredibly obvious. XD
> 
> A/N #2: I'd also like to say that I'm going to make a couple new Miitopia stories! One is a Violetsbane AU called Echoes of the Flames, one is a series of Miitopia based oneshots (well that or I post them all separately because most of them have more than one chapter tbh with you), a collab story with Midnight Umbreon the Great (stop screwing up the Google Doc tho Middy), and another collab story (along with Middy and three others) called Falterfly Thundle. Here is the prologue summary because damn I can't make a darn summary today:
> 
> "So here's the story concept for what I also had in mind: Decades before the original Miitopia plotline, the Dark Lord and the whole of Miitopia are at war with each other because the Dark Lord wants to take over Miitopia for himself. Bright Scar, the guardian of Miitopia has had enough and decides to end the battle herself. It ends up with the Dark Lord eventually beating her, and holding her captive. He takes away Bright Scar's powers and takes them for himself; the Dark Lord then uses these powers to seal off every single region of Miitopia into darkness (Greenhorne, Neksdor, Realm of the Fey, etc) so no one can defy him. To make things worse, he orders his highest ranking generals to watch over each place and orders them to cause misery to the Miis living there. Bright Scar uses the last remaining bit of her power to warn her friend Arabian Dagger about this. He calls upon a select few heroes to rise up and fight against the Dark Lord. The heroes are in each respective region, fighting their way out of the shadows to free their people and end the terrors the Dark Lord has brought upon them."


End file.
